Sarabjit's family to appeal to President

With Pakistan Supreme Court rejecting Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh's review petition against his death sentence, his family on Thursday sought the help of President A P J Abdul Kalam and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to save him from the gallows.

Sarabjit's sister Dalbir Kaur said she "...would request Kalam to talk to Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf at the earliest since the Pakistan Supreme Court has given two days to file a mercy petition before the President of Pakistan."

"I would also request Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to come forward to rescue Sarabjit Singh from the gallows for the safe home-coming of Sarabjit Singh to India," she said.

"I received a telephone call from Pakistani lawyer Rana Abdul Hamid (Sarabjit's lawyer) from Islamabad who informed that the Supreme Court of Pakistan has confirmed the death sentence of Sarabjit Singh while upholding its earlier judgement," said Dalbir Kaur.

Struggling to hold back her tears, she said, "If my brother is hanged in Pakistan, I would take no time to hang myself here in India while showing resentment towards the Indian Government which has done nothing so far to rescue Sarabjit Singh from the jaws of death except uttering sympathetic words."

Sukhpreet Kaur, wife of Sarabjit, and her daughter Swapndip Kaur (17) urged the Prime Minister to save her father from the gallows and sought permission to visit Pakistan to see Sarabjit languishing in Kotlakhpath Rai Jail at Lahore.