Tuesday, September 27 2005 18:10 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Jalandhar: Dalbir Kaur, sister of alleged Indian spy Sarabjit Singh, today (Sept 27, 2005) said she would meet External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh and urge him to raise the issue of her brother's release with the Pakistani leadership during his visit to Islamabad next month.

Pakistan Supreme Court today upheld the death sentence given to Sarabjit in another bomb blast case.

"I am going to New Delhi tomorrow to meet the External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh, who is going to Pakistan next month, to raise the issue of Sarabjit's release during the talks with his counterpart," Dalbir Kaur told sources by phone. She said Sarabjit's lawyer Rana Abdul Hamid would file a review petition in the Pakistan Supreme Court tomorrow pleading to reconsider the capital punishment awarded to him.

Dalbir said Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had assured her that he would talk to Parvez Elahi his counterpart in Pakistan's Punjab province to extend a helping hand to Sarabjit.

Expressing gratitude to Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf for indicating that he would be sympathetic towards Sarabjit's case, she said External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh should raise the issue during his Pakistan visit to yield a desired result.

On Musharraf's statement that it was upto the kin of victims of the blasts allegedly engineered by Sarabjit, Dalbir claimed since Salim Shaukat, whose father was killed in the blast had already spoken in favour of pardon, there should be no problem to free her brother.

"Moreover, it was a clear cut case of mistaken identity as Sarabjit is not Manjit Singh, against whom the allegations were made," she said.