Islamabad: Questioning Pakistan government's proposal to commute death sentences of prisoners, including that of Indian national Sarabjit Singh, a leading daily here has said it violates Islamic laws and contradicts law ministry s earlier advice on the issue.

After meeting Sarabjit Singh in a Lahore jail earlier this week, Law Minister Farooq Naek had said the government would consider the Indian death row prisoner Sarabjit Singh's case giving a ray of hope for his release after 17 years behind bars.

He had also said that the country expected reciprocity, from India on repatriation of Pakistani prisoners lodged in Indian jails on "humanitarian" grounds.

The Law Ministry in its legal advice to Premier Yousuf Raza Gilani had two months back stated that the President had no power to commute a death sentence awarded under Islamic laws and an offender could be pardoned only with the consent of the heirs of the victim, the News daily said.

Sarabjit Singh, for whom India is vigorously pursuing clemency from Pakistan, is convicted of allegedly killing 14 innocent Pakistanis including a child.

Citing the section of the Pakistan Penal Code, which deals with commutation of capital punishment, the daily said if an offender had been sentenced to death for murder, the punishment should not be commuted without consent of heirs of the victim even if it is on humanitarian grounds.

"Therefore, while humanitarian consideration may weigh but they should in no way outweigh the grief and agony of those whose loved ones have been murdered," the daily quoted the Law Ministry as saying in its advice to Gilani.
Source : PTI