Sarabjit's release will strengthen Indo-Pak ties: Lawyer

Sarabjit Singh's lawyer today urged the Pakistan President to exercise his constitutional power to commute death sentence of the Indian prisoner and order his release to strengthen ties with India.

Sarabjit has been a victim of mistaken identity, lawyer Awais Sheikh said, adding that his innocence has been proved beyond doubt. "Sarabjit is a victim of mistaken identity for another accused in a terror case in Pakistan in 1990 and has been unjustifiably jailed for over 22 years for a crime that he did not commit," he said.

He urged Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari to exercise his powers under section 45 of the constitution and commute the death sentence of Sarabjit to life imprisonment and order his release in the larger interest of India and Pakistan relations.

The main accused in the two decade-old terror incident has been identified as Amandeep Singh and not Sarabjeet during the latest investigation by Pakistani security agencies, he claimed. 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.