Friday, August 19 2005 15:27 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Islamabad: Pakistan's Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence awarded to Manjeet Singh, who the prosecution claimed was an agent of India's Research and Analysis Wing and involved in five cases of bomb blasts in the country.

A two-member bench comprising Justice Hamid Ali Mirza and Justice Muhammad Nawaz Abbasi yesterday (August 18, 2005) dismissed the appeals filed by Singh, state-run APP news agency reported.

An Anti-Terrorism Court of Punjab had awarded him death sentence on five counts, which was upheld by the Lahore High Court. He then filed an appeal in the Supreme Court.

According to the prosecution, Singh had admitted his involvement in the bomb blasts in Anarkali and Bhati Gate in Lahore, Bhawana Bazar in Faisalabad, in Multan and an explosion on a bus going from Lahore to Ghazi in 1990.

The counsel of the appellant informed the court that the original name of his client was Surjeet Singh and he, at the most, was a smuggler of Indian liquor into Pakistan.

Singh was arrested by Pakistan Security Forces at Kasur Border on August 30, 1990 when he was reportedly leaving Pakistan after having carried out the bomb blasts.

During investigation Singh had stated that he was born in Uttar Pradesh and grew up in the vicinity of Agra city. He left Agra in 1972 and settled in Amritsar, the report said.

According to his confession, he joined Indian Military Intelligence in 1987 and was assigned tasks in Pakistan. Soon he became a permanent agent of RAW and in that capacity he visited Pakistan 14 times.