Zardari frees Indian prisoner of 27 years
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Sunday remitted the remaining jail term of Indian convict Gopal Das, who has been imprisoned in Pakistan for 27 years, days ahead of a visit to India by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to watch the cricket World Cup semi-final featuring the teams of the two countries.
Zardari remitted the remaining prison term of Das "on humanitarian grounds", presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar said.
The remission was granted on the advice of the prime minister to "honour an appeal of the Supreme Court of India to the government of Pakistan", he said.
A two-judge bench of the Indian Supreme Court had appealed to the Pakistan government earlier this month to remit the remaining period of Das' sentence and release him on humanitarian grounds.
The court made the appeal in response to a petition filed by Das' brother Anand Vir.
Babar noted that Indian media reports had mentioned that the Indian judges had resorted to the "unusual step" of appealing to Pakistan to consider granting remission to Das on humanitarian grounds.
He also pointed out that Justice Markandey Katju had, in his judgement, quoted a couplet by Faiz: "Qafas uddas hai yaaro sabaa se kuch to kaho, Kaheen to beher-e-khuda aaj zikr-e-yaar chale".
Das' family has said that he was arrested by Pakistani security forces when he mistakenly crossed the border in July 1984.
According to official records, Das was sentenced to life imprisonment in June 1987 and was set to be released by the end of this year.
However, acting on the advice of the prime minister, the President on Sunday remitted Das' remaining term, Babar said.
"The President signed the remission advice in the wee hours of Sunday, soon after the invitation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was accepted and it was decided that Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani will proceed to Mohali to witness the semi-final cricket match between the teams of the two countries," Babar said.
The Home and Interior Secretaries of India and Pakistan will meet in New Delhi tomorrow for the first in a series of meetings under the umbrella of the "full spectrum of dialogue" between the two countries.
Tomorrow's meeting will mark the formal resumption of the bilateral peace process that was stalled in the wake of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, which were blamed on the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba. - PTI
Monday, March 28, 2011
Zardari remitted the remaining prison term of Das "on humanitarian grounds", presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar said.
The remission was granted on the advice of the prime minister to "honour an appeal of the Supreme Court of India to the government of Pakistan", he said.
A two-judge bench of the Indian Supreme Court had appealed to the Pakistan government earlier this month to remit the remaining period of Das' sentence and release him on humanitarian grounds.
The court made the appeal in response to a petition filed by Das' brother Anand Vir.
Babar noted that Indian media reports had mentioned that the Indian judges had resorted to the "unusual step" of appealing to Pakistan to consider granting remission to Das on humanitarian grounds.
He also pointed out that Justice Markandey Katju had, in his judgement, quoted a couplet by Faiz: "Qafas uddas hai yaaro sabaa se kuch to kaho, Kaheen to beher-e-khuda aaj zikr-e-yaar chale".
Das' family has said that he was arrested by Pakistani security forces when he mistakenly crossed the border in July 1984.
According to official records, Das was sentenced to life imprisonment in June 1987 and was set to be released by the end of this year.
However, acting on the advice of the prime minister, the President on Sunday remitted Das' remaining term, Babar said.
"The President signed the remission advice in the wee hours of Sunday, soon after the invitation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was accepted and it was decided that Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani will proceed to Mohali to witness the semi-final cricket match between the teams of the two countries," Babar said.
The Home and Interior Secretaries of India and Pakistan will meet in New Delhi tomorrow for the first in a series of meetings under the umbrella of the "full spectrum of dialogue" between the two countries.
Tomorrow's meeting will mark the formal resumption of the bilateral peace process that was stalled in the wake of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, which were blamed on the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba. - PTI
Monday, March 28, 2011
Third business conference to be held in India
our correspondent
KARACHI: Continuing with its commitment to promoting peace and economic relations between Pakistan and India, the Jang Group and the Times of India h .....more
our correspondentKARACHI: Continuing with its commitment to promoting peace and economic relations between Pakistan and India, the Jang Group and the Times of India h .....more
Indian SC orders release of Dr Khalil Chishti
NEW DELHI: The Indian Supreme Court (SC) has issued orders to release Pakistani microbiologist Dr Muhammad Khalil Chishti.
Khalil Chishti, 80, was allowed to go ho .....more
NEW DELHI: The Indian Supreme Court (SC) has issued orders to release Pakistani microbiologist Dr Muhammad Khalil Chishti.Khalil Chishti, 80, was allowed to go ho .....more
Aman ki Asha...Activist begins Indo-Pak peace journey through 21 countries
By Murtaza Ali Shah
LONDON: A young British Pakistani community activist will begin his road peace journey through 21 countries today (Wednesday) to emphasi .....more
By Murtaza Ali ShahLONDON: A young British Pakistani community activist will begin his road peace journey through 21 countries today (Wednesday) to emphasi .....more
Briefs
If you haven't yet signed the Aman ki Asha petition against visa restrictions between India and Pakistan please do check it out .....more
'Milne Do' and cricket
If you haven't yet signed the Aman ki Asha petition against visa restrictions between India and Pakistan please do check it out .....more
Exchange books, not bombs
By Saad Durrani
In my school days, every student in the class had a book with a red cover. This book taught us technicalities of the English language. On th .....more
By Saad DurraniIn my school days, every student in the class had a book with a red cover. This book taught us technicalities of the English language. On th .....more
Indian doctors get little Pakistani hearts beating
Aman ki Asha, Rotary Pakistan and Rotary Indian Humanity Foundation, through their groundbreaking Gift of Life/Heart to Heart initiative, have facilitated over a h .....more
Page 15 of 175
Special Editions
more editions
The News on Sunday Special Report: India Pakistan prisoners
We probably didn't need to do this Special Report. Newspaper stories don't matter when it comes to Indians in Pakistani jails and vice versa. In fact, 'vice versa' sums it up. We do to them what they do to us.
Except when the two countries decide to begin talking, yet again! This time a little before the foreign secretary level talks, some Pakistani prisoners were released by India (and vice versa must have happened) and some more were release....read more
Blog
more
For the past 2 years the Jang Group and Geo have been working on a project of great national interest; one that we hope will help usher in an era of peace and prosperity in the country and indeed, in the region. And one that hopefully all Pakistanis can be proud of.
The Jang Group has entered into an agreement with the Times of India Group, the largest media group of India, to campaign for peace betw
Global Media
Comments