Sign a petition online for Sarabjit's release

BANGALORE, INDIA: As Sukhpreet Kaur, wife of the jailed Sarabjit Singh put it across, it was indeed a cruel joke.

On Tuesday, many Pakistani media reports claimed that Sarabjit had got presidential pardon and would walk free after 22 years. Soon after the initial reports emerged, Presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar clarified that authorities were taking steps to free another Indian named Surjeet Singh, who was jailed for espionage, and not Sarabjit.

Incidentally, Babar had told two Indian news channels and a Western news wire that the government was taking steps to free Sarabjit, some reports suggested.

Sarabjit was convicted and sentenced to death in 1990 for his alleged involvement in a serial bomb blasts in Lahore and Multan that killed 14 people. Since then, he has been lodged at Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore, along with Surjeet, who is serving his jail sentence for more than 30 years.

"It is unclear how the mix-up took place — whether it was official quarters whose information was mistaken or if the reporting by the media was the guilty party," said the report in The Express Tribune.

Overall, the Pakistani media expressed its embarrassment on the international arena due to this episode.

"The government in an unusual way late on Tuesday took a u-turn on release of Indian prisoner 'Sarabjit Singh', convicted of spying charges, said release orders were signed for 'Surjit Singh' and not for Sarabjit Sigh," said The Dawn, a leading daily in Pakistan.

Apparently, Pakistani TV news channels started reporting first that the President had commuted Sarabjit's death sentence to life imprisonment and directed authorities to take steps to release him, if he had completed his jail term.

The flip-flop not only affected his family, but most of India, as people were looking forward to the release of Sarabjit, following several campaigns, especially the ones championed by his sister Dalbir Kaur.

An online initiative — The Free Sarabjit Singh Campaign — also tries to create awareness among public about the case and is fighting for his release. "It is a free and an independent humanitarian campaign for the furtherance of human rights. This campaign is not connected to, and or in any way affiliated to any religious sect or political party," says its website: www.freesarabjitsingh.com.

It presents the facts of the case and has a brief history of Sarabjit, before and after his captivity. It also has an online petition addressed to Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari. There are news and gallery sections as well.

One can sign the petition, if supporting Sarabjit's cause on the site, which has got about 1,223 comments yet.

Furthermore, it also shares the contacts of Indian authorities concerned, Zardari's office and Advisor to the Prime Minister on Interior Rehman Malik's mail IDs and fax numbers, among other information. Free Sarabjit Singh Campaign is available on social media as well.

Will you be supporting Sarabjit?