New Delhi, June 25:Pakistan Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh’s review petition challenging his death sentence in the 1990 Lahore bomb blast case. The petition was rejected by a three -member bench of Pakistan’s Supreme Court on the grounds of non-pursuance of the case by his lawyer. Sarabjit’s lawyer Rana Abdul Hamid was not present on Wednesday despite a directive to him. The lawyer was also absent for the last hearing on Monday.
Talking to CNN-IBN Hamid said that he would file another appeal on Sarabjit’s behalf.
“I was not authorised to appear as I was appointed to the Punjab government. So I asked my friend to appear in the Supreme Court on my behalf. But he was busy. Today I have been de-notified so I can file an application in the court and appeal,” Hamid said.
With Sarabjit’s case lingering on for more than 19 years CNN-IBN’s Face The Nation debated: Is Pakistan using Sarabjit to bargain with India?
The panel of experts included former secretary to Ministry of External Affairs, KC Singh; Criminal Lawyer Majid Memon and Chairman, Center For Research and Security Studies, Islamabad Imtiaz Gul.
At the start of the show, 86 per cent of those who voted in said yes, Pakistan is using Sarabjit to bargain with India while 14 per cent disagreed.
No mercy for Sarabjit?
Majid Memon reacting to the dismissal of Sarabjit’s review petition said that there is no need to be unduly panicky in this development because it is procedure of law.
“When the learned counsel representing the party whose mercy petition is coming up for hearing is absent then the courts generally don’t dismiss but in this case as the matter came to the Pakistan Supreme Court on Monday and the counsel was absent then and was against absent on Wednesday it has been dismissed by default. It cannot be reconstituted as been rejected, so there is still a ray of hope,” explained Memon.
Highlighting an important aspect of Pakistani constitution, Memon said that after a mercy petition is disposed off by the Pakistani Supreme Court on the basis of merits even then under Article 45 of Pakistani constitution, the petitioners would be entitled to approach the head of the state i.e. the President of Pakistan.
Pressure from Jammat-ud Dawa on Sarabij’s lawyer?
There were reports from Pakistani media that Jammat-ud Dawa (Lashkar-e-Toiba front) leaders forced Sarbajit’s lawyer to not attend the court.
Denying all the allegations, Imtiaz Gul said he doesn’t believe in all these rumours because the decision was based on the fact that Sarabjit’s lawyer has been absent in the court from the last two hearings.
–Agencies