Emotions ran high when family members of Sarabjit Singh met him at Lahore's Kot Lakhpat jail on Thursday. Sarabjit's meeting with his wife Sukhpreet, sister Dalbir Kaur and daughters Swapandeep and Poonam lasted for only one and half hours. Sarabjit Singh has spent 17 years on death row in Pakistan and is accused of being involved in a bomb blast which rocked Lahore and Multan in 1990, killing 14 people. Sarabjit's hanging has been twice postponed by the Pakistani authorities following mercy requests by the Indian government.

 

Sarabjit's family has been constantly saying that he is innocent and entered the Pakistani territory by mistake. They have also expressed their desire to meet the Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to make requests for his release. Ansar Burney, former Human Rights Minister in Pakistan, has said earlier that he has enough proof which shows that Sarabjit was not involved in the bomb blasts and has been falsely accused in the case.

 

However, the family members of the victims of the bomb blasts said that they will not let Sarabjit go free and will protest outside the jail till he is hanged. The family members of the victims of the blasts have not pardoned Sarabjit and have asked for his execution as per the court orders. Meanwhile, the Pakistani government has said it is considering the mercy request of the prisoner sent by the Indian government.