M A I N   N E W S

8 Punjabi youths face murder trial in Sharjah
Kulwinder Sandhu
Tribune News Service

Moga, June 14
Eight Punjabi youths are facing charges of murdering a Pakistani youth at Sharjah in the UAE for the past about 10 months. They were produced before a Shariat court today, which fixed July 12 as the next date of hearing in the case.

Earlier, 17 Punjabi youths have been awarded death sentence by a Sharjah court in a separate case of murdering a Pakistani youth. The mercy appeal of these youths is pending before a Shariat court at Sharjah after various political parties at home took up the issue for their release.

As per the details available, eight Punjabi youths: Sachin Kumar Sharma, a resident of Mallah village (Jalandhar), Rakesh Kumar, a resident of Maksudan village (Jalandhar), Hardev Singh, a resident of Romana village (Faridkot), Charanjit, a resident of Parala village (Gurdaspur), Sukhpal Singh, a resident of Burj Singhan village (Bathinda), Rashpinder Singh, a resident of Takhanwad village, Amarjit, a resident of Lagarian Mohallah, Goraian (Jalandhar), and Kuldip Singh, a resident of Meenian village (Moga) along with two Pakistani youths had been charged of murdering Pakistani youth Mumtaz Yusuf.

Talking to The Tribune from Sharjah, Baljit Singh, president of the All-India Sikh Students Federation (AISSF), UAE unit, said Mumtaz Yusuf was murdered on July 11, 2009, and the exact cause of the murder was not known.

Baljit said when he went to Sharjah to procure some documents regarding the case of 17 Punjabi youths facing death sentence, he saw these eight youths being produced in that court in another murder case.

Adding that he appeared before the Shariat court and demanded legal documents related to this case also, he said the court while accepting his request has provided certain documents written in Arabic language, which he has given for translation to the legal experts.

He further revealed that the court had today issued a notice to the Pakistani embassy asking them to reveal their position whether the parents and family members of the murdered youth want to settle the case or the legal process should continue to prosecute the alleged culprits.

The parents and family members of the deceased Pakistani youth had so far not visited Sharjah nor inquired about their kin after his death.