Amritsar: Two daughters of Sarabjit Singh, the Indian prisoner facing death penalty in Pakistan on terrorism charges, have written a letter to US President George W. Bush, addressing him as "uncle" and urging him to intervene and save their father from the gallows.

Poonam and Swapandeep, who do not even recall having ever seen Sarabjit, have sought "Uncle" Bush’s intervention to save their father from being hanged May 1.

The letter has been sent to President Bush just ahead of the Lahore visit by Sarabjit's sister Dalbir Kaur, his wife Sukhpreet Kaur and both daughters along with another relative Wednesday.

Sarabjit has been languishing at the Kot Lakhpat jail in Lahore.

The letter has urged the US president to see the whole issue from the perspective of a father.

"Uncle, our father entered Pakistan territory in 1990 by mistake in a drunken state and has not done anything to warrant death," the letter from the girls states.

They have pointed out how their father became a victim of mistaken identity and was subsequently sentenced to death for causing the death of 14 people in bomb blasts in Lahore and Multan in 1990.

Sarabjit is identified in Pakistan as Manjit Singh. His family in Punjab disputes this identity saying he has nothing to do with terrorism.

"We have never seen our father as we were too young when all this happened. Our father was the sole breadwinner of the family and has been falsely implicated," the sisters said.

The letter comes at a time the family is trying to lobby through all channels to seek clemency for Sarabjit. Pakistan human rights activist and former minister Ansar Burney has been preparing a fresh clemency petition for him.

Dalbir Kaur said Monday she was hoping the Pakistani people will help her family in saving Sarabjit. "I appeal to families of the victims of the bomb blasts, in which Sarabjit's name has figured as Manjit Singh, to pardon him even though we know that he is innocent. We are going with a lot of hope," she said.

 

Source : IANS