FORMER Human Rights Minister Ansar Burney Friday said the Indian media was misquoting him over the release of Sarbajit Singh with UNHRC intervention if the Pakistan government rejected his clemency appeal.

Talking to The News by phone from India, Ansar Burney, who is also a member of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) Advisory Committee, said he had not given any statement that he would discuss Sarbajit’s issue at the UNHRC platform. He said the Indian media had misquoted him when he said he would try his level best for the release of Sarbajit who has been on death row in a Pakistani jail.

He said Pakistan, being a sovereign state, had an inalienable right to decide the fate of Sarbajit as he was arrested for killing 14 people in bomb blasts in Faisalabad and Multan in 1991.

Sarbajit was to be hanged on April 1, when President Musharraf deferred his sentence for thirty days on March 19, after receiving clemency appeals from the Indian government and his family.

Mr Burney said he would plead for Sarbajit’s clemency if he was found innocent. About the objective of his visit to India, he said he had there to find Pakistani prisoners who had completed their sentences but were still languishing in Indian Punjab jails.

“I am not satisfied with the evidence his family has provided to me,” he said, adding that he would bring the evidence to Pakistan and compile a detailed report for the Pakistani government. He said he had also requested the Indian Punjab government to verify the FIR registered against Sarbajit at a local police station.

He said he had met Sarbajit’s family to improve Pakistan’s image of human rights as he had been languishing in a Pakistani jail for 18 years. He said family members of 20 Indian prisoners had approached him with evidences to support innocence of their relatives. He said he would investigate the evidences before fighting for their release.

To a query whether he was sent by the Pakistani government or President Musharraf to India, he said he had not apprised President Musharraf of his visit as he was no longer a human rights minister. He added he would send a report to President Musharraf if he found Sarbajit innocent. He said he would Pakistani prisoners who were not being contacted by the Pakistani High Commission for their repatriation as they had also completed their sentences. He said the Indian Punjab government had ensured free access to 49 Pakistanis, including three women and two dumb and deaf prisoners, who had completed their sentences. He said the Indian government would provide a complete list of prisoners and their photographs which he would bring to Pakistan, so that he could ascertain whether they were Pakistanis or not. He said he would start visiting Pakistani prisoners on Monday.

He said he would take up the issue of the mysterious death of a Pakistani prisoner, Khalid Mehmood, with Indian Interior Minister Shivraj Patil in New Delhi as the federal government would order an investigation into the case. He said the issue had been politicised which could also stop the process of swapping prisoners between the two countries.

He said he was a human rights activist and would ensure the release of all prisoners who had not been found guilty of serious crimes but were involved in petty crimes. He said he had been warmly welcomed by Indian people and he was proud of being a Pakistani.

Dalbir Kaur, Sarbajit’s sister, said she had tied a Rakhi (wristband) to Burney on Wednesday in Bhikiwind while praying that God might give Burney enough strength and courage to get her brother released.

“I have urged Burney to request President Musharraf on behalf of the family to quash his death punishment or commute his sentence into life imprisonment,” she added.

She dispelled the impression created by the media that Burney had planned his visit to meet Sarbajit’s family, saying that Burney had been striving hard for the release of innocent prisoners, languishing in jails of both countries. She claimed that Burney was visiting India for collecting the data of all Pakistani prisoners in Indian Punjab jails.

She said she had appealed to Burney for urging the Pakistani High Commission in India to grant her a visa for Pakistan, so that she could meet her brother and complained that her brother had not been provided with basic facilities in his death cell. She said she had also requested the Indian government to provide her access to Pakistani prisoners in Indian Punjab jails, so that she could also fight their cases and get them released. To a query about the mysterious death of Khalid Mehmood, allegedly tortured to death while in the custody of the Indian police on February 12, she said his death had grieved not only her family but all families who had been looking forward to seeing their relatives who were in Pakistani jails.

She said India had also received the body of Laxman Kanji, 40, an Indian fisherman, who was arrested in February 2006, for allegedly fishing in Pakistani waters and died of cardiac arrest in the Landi jail, Karachi. “The exchange of only dead bodies will not lead the people of Pakistan and India anywhere, but increase their agony and grief,” she added.

Burney also met Sarbajit’s wife, Sukhpreet Kaur, and her daughters in their native village Bihkiwind. Sukhpreet also provided several evidences to Burney which could prove Sarbajit’s innocence.

Dalbir maintained the evidences, including a voter list, a driving licence, a copy of the FIR registered against Sarbajit in 1985 under the Excise Act, passbooks, a post office passbook and school leaving certificates of Sarbajit’s daughters, would prove that he was not ‘Manjit’ but ‘Sarbajit’ who had entered into Pakistan while in a drunken state.

She said she had also provided Burney with a CD which contained the confession of witnesses in Sarbajit’s case that they were forced into deposing against Sarbajit. She said a CD from the people of Jati Umrah was also provided to Burney in which they had sought clemency for Sarbajit from Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) Chief Mian Nawaz Sharif.

She urged Indian and Pakistani governments to release all prisoners in jails of both countries, without any condition, to provide relief to the aggrieved families. She hoped that such actions would also help create a congenial atmosphere for bilateral ties between India and Pakistan. Indian Punjab Information and Public Relations Minister Bikram Singh Majithia urged the Pakistani government to release all prisoners from jails, who had completed their sentences for minor offences.

He said Indian Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal had shown his willingness to release all Pakistani prisoners who were not involved in terrorist activities. He said the whole of India was happy with the release of Kashmir Singh and hoped the Pakistani government would release all Indian prisoners who had completed their sentences. He said terrorism was equally denounced by India and Pakistan as it had become a regional threat. He said Badal Singh’s resolve was to strengthen bilateral ties.

He said that the Indian Punjab government had invited Ansar Burney to help release Pakistani prisoners who had completed their sentences besides collecting evidences for Sarbajit’s innocence. He said Burney had also met Badal Singh who offered him complete cooperation. Bikram said human rights in the region should be protected and respected by all governments and human beings should not be hanged for petty offences.
Source: The News
Date:4/5/2008