Pak to consider Sarabjit release issue positively
Raising hope for the return of Sarabjit Singh, the condemned Indian prisoner currently lodged in a Lahore jail, Pakistan has assured India to consider positively the request for his release. The assurance was given when home secretary R.K. Singh called on Pakistan interior minister Rehman Malik in Islamabad last week during his visit to Islamabad for the home secretary-level talks.
“I have requested the Pakistan interior minister and my counterpart (interior secretary Khwaja Siddique Akbar) to release Sarabjit Singh. They have assured me that they would consider our request positively,” Mr Singh told reporters on Monday.
Sarabjit’s release, officials said, however, will first have to be preceded by the Pakistan government’s decision to grant him mercy thus paving the way for his return to India. Sarabjit had been sentenced to death but his execution was indefinitely put off by the Pakistan government. He is currently lodged in Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore.
For the first time, India and Pakistan are also exploring the signing of an extradition pact to enable both countries to exchange criminals and ‘’wanted’’ persons, with the issue being raised by the Indian side during the HS level talks. Mr Singh said both sides have agreed “in principle” to initiate negotiations on a Mutual-Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) to strengthen cooperation in criminal matters. “The Pakistani side promised to examine the draft of the MLAT handed over by the Indian side and revert with comments within two months,” he said. Mr Singh added that the Indian delegation also requested the Pakistani side to consider the possibility of inking an extradition treaty between the two countries.
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