Chandigarh, Jan 19: Seeking immediate release of Sarabjit Singh, an Indian national on death row in Pakistan, his lawyer Awais Sheikh has said that Singh is a "victim of politics on both sides of the border."
 "Sarabjit has been unjustifiably jailed for over 22 years for a crime that he did not commit. He was mistakenly held in the name of another person, Manjit Singh. It is Manjit's name that features in the FIR in a case of bombings in Pakistan in 1990," Sheikh said here.
 Sheikh has written a book on his client, 'A Case of Mistaken Identity' which "gives documentary evidence... reading which one can come to the conclusion that Sarabjit is a victim of mistaken identity".
 The lawyer said that Pak President Asif Ali Zardari can exercise his powers under Section 45 of the Pakistani constitution which, "empowers him to reduce, alter, change or amend" the decision and commute Sarabjit's death sentence to life imprisonment.
 Since Sarabjit has already completed 22 years in prison, Sheikh said that his client could walk free if his sentence were commuted.
 Sarabjit is on death row for the last 20 years following his conviction for alleged involvement in a series of bombings in Pakistan in 1990.

Lastupdate on : Sat, 19 Jan 2013 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sat, 19 Jan 2013 18:30:00 GMT
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