After the Indian government moved to release Pakistani virologist Dr Khalil Chishti, efforts are under way for the release of Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh. Awais Sheikh, who is the counsel for the Indian prisoner, told Business Recorder on Wednesday that President Asif Ali Zardari's visit to New Delhi and Ajmer last weekend brought hope, not just in the perspective of bilateral relations, but also for both the Pakistani and Indian prisoners.
He is also the president of an NGO called Pakistan-India Peace Initiatives. Awais Sheikh, said that he had filed a fresh mercy petition before President Zardari's visit to India. "This time, there are bright prospects of Sarabjit's release," he said.
He claimed Sarabjit was to be released on August 14 last year in exchange for Khalil Chishti, who is currently being held in a jail in India's Rajasthan state. But the decision was "withdrawn at the eleventh hour when Indian authorities did not release Chishti", Sheikh claimed. He appealed to governments of India and Pakistan to repatriate prisoners who had completed their jail terms.