If he listens to hardliners, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari can deny mercy to Sarabjit Singh, a death row Indian prisoner, and send him to the gallows to “avenge” Ajmal Kasab’s hanging by India.
“The religious groups obviously want a tit-for-tat response. They believe there is no difference between Kasab and Sarabjit Singh,” a senior government official told this newspaper. He said, however, that while the President will not take any abrupt action, it will not be possible for him to free Sarabjit for at least the next few months until the religious outfits “cool down”.
“Mercy or no mercy, Sarabjit’s case will be in deep freezer for some months now”, the official said.
Only last week Sarabjit, on death row after conviction for involvement in a string of bombings in Pakistan that killed 14 people, sent a fresh mercy petition to be forwarded to President Zardari.
His family says he is a farmer and a victim of mistaken identity. Sarabjit’s relatives say he strayed into Pakistan in an inebriated state three months after the bombings.
A senior Jamaat-e-Islami leader said Sarabjit Singh must be hanged as he too had killed many innocent people. “If Ajmal Kasab was a terrorist, Sarabjit Singh is not a saint. He is also a terrorist. Why should he be released?”, the leader asked.
“We want to ask President Zardari why is he considering mercy for Sarabjit when India is hanging our people? What makes Kasab different from Sarabjit Singh?” he asked.
Other parties like Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazal), Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan and Sunni Tehrik are pressuring Mr Zardari to take “revenge” when he has a chance.
Militant outfits like Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Tayyaba have also vowed to continue Kasab’s “mission” after his execution.
Sarabjit’s Pakistani lawyer Awais Sheikh said he still hopes President Zardari will not take any action in retaliation. “Kasab and Sarabjit Singh’s case cannot be compared. My client is not a terrorist,” he said.