Hope for Sarabjit as Pak mulls commuting death to life terms

Making the announcement, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani told Parliament that the Interior Ministry would be asked to “move a summary to President Pervez Musharraf to commute the sentence of those on death row to life imprisonment”. Under Pakistan Constitution, the President has powers to commute sentences.

The Government’s decision raised the prospects of the release of Sarabjit Singh, the 42-year-old Indian in jail for the past 18 years for his alleged role in the 1990 bomb blasts in Lahore and Multan.

His hanging was put off indefinitely last month after the Indian Government took up his case amid intense pressure from his family and Pakistani human rights activists like Ansar Burney.

“I am going to inform Sarabjit Singh's family.... For a long time the Indian Governmnet was also requesting the Pakistan Government... it is a great, great achievement,” he said.

Gilani, who made the announcement to mark the 55th birth anniversary of his Pakistan People's Party leader Benazir Bhutto, also recommended remission of 90 days to the prisoners. The remission will not apply to those involved in heinous crimes, Gilani was quoted as saying by the state-run APP.