Islamabad, February 29
Indian prisoner Kashmir Singh, who had spent 35 years on death row in Pakistani jails, is expected to walk free on Monday following the approval of his mercy petition by President Pervez Musharraf.

After the approval of the petition of Singh, who was arrested in Rawalpindi on espionage charges in 1973 and sentenced to death by an army court, by Musharraf yesterday, it was processed by the Prime Minister’s secretariat today, caretaker human rights minister Ansar Burney said.

“The matter is now with the interior ministry and all the paperwork related to Kashmir Singh’s release is expected to be completed by Monday. I will also get in touch with the Indian High Commission to get his travel documents prepared so that he can go home expeditiously,” Burney said.

He revealed that Musharraf was initially not convinced that Singh, now in his sixties, had spent so long on death row but readily agreed to consider the mercy petition after he was presented with the facts of the case. — PTI