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Sarabjit eager to see daughter

Islamabad: Indian national Sarabjit Singh, sentenced to death for alleged involvement in bomb attacks in Pakistan’s Punjab province, on Saturday made a special request to the authorities to be allowed to meet his daughter Poonam whom he had never seen, as the government said his execution had not been put off further.

Sarabjit conveyed the request when officials of the Indian High Commission met him at Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore.

His daughters Swapandeep and Poonam and wife Sukhpreet Kaur are coming to Pakistan along with his sister Dalbir Kaur and her husband Baldev Singh on April 23 to meet him.

Suresh Reddy, visa counsellor with the Indian High Commission, told PTI over phone from Lahore, “Sarabjit made a very touching statement — he said he has never seen the face of his youngest daughter Poonam and would like to meet her at least once. When he was informed about his family members coming to Pakistan next week, Sarabjit requested the Pakistan government to be allowed to meet them.”

Sarabjit, who Pakistan claims is Manjit Singh, was sentenced to death in 1991 for his alleged involvement in four bomb blasts that killed 14 people.

His family denied he was a spy as claimed by Pakistan and insisted he accidentally strayed into Pakistani territory. His daughter Poonam was born after he was detained.

His execution was deferred for 30 days by President Pervez Musharraf last month so that Pakistan’s new government could review his case following an appeal for clemency from India. He was originally to be hanged on April 1.

Presidential spokesman Maj. Gen. (retired) Rashid Qureshi on Saturday denied reports in the media that his execution had been postponed for one more month.

Mr. Reddy said Sarabjit appeared to be “healthy though emotionally he was in a state of tension and stress.”

This was only the second time in nearly 20 years that Indian officials were granted consular access to Sarabjit .

External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Friday made a fresh appeal to the Pakistan government to grant clemency to Sarabjit on humanitarian grounds. There had not been any official response from Islamabad to the appeal, Mr. Reddy said. — PTI

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