To
H.E. The President of Pakistan
Mr. Asif Zardari
Through H.E. the Pakistan High
Commissioner to India
Mr. Shahid Malik
New
Delhi
10.04.2012
Your Excellency,
Re: Release
of Sarabjit Singh
Your
Excellency’s recent visit to India and Ajmer Sharif has created a climate for
good relations between our two countries.
Your Excellency was very kind to
honour the appeal made by the bench of the Indian Supreme Court (consisting of
Justice Gyan Sudha Mishra and myself) for release of one Gopal Das, an Indian
who had been undergoing a life sentence in Pakistan, and had spent 27 years in
Pakistani jails. In our judgment we had quoted the famous Urdu poet Faiz Ahmed
Faiz:
“Qafas udaas hai yaaron saba se kuch to
kaho
Kaheen to behar-e-khuda
aaj zikr-e-yaar chale”
On Your Excellency’s
order Gopal Das was released and was sent back to India. I am very grateful for
Your Excellency’s kind gesture.
Now through this letter I am praying
to you for similar generosity in the case of one Sarabjit Singh, an Indian
national, who has been on death row in a Pakistani jail for over 20 years. I am
appealing to you to order release of Sarabjit Singh and his return to India as
a humanitarian gesture, exercising your power of pardon as the Pakistan
President. By doing so you will add to the excellent impression among Indians
created by your recent visit to Delhi and Ajmer Sharif, and improve ties
between our two countries.
You would be knowing that the Indian
Supreme Court recently granted bail to Dr. Khalil Chishty, for whose release I
have been campaigning for a long time. Release of Sarabjit Singh and sending
him back to India will add to the friendly atmosphere which has been created.
I will conclude by quoting Portia’s
speech in Shakespeare’s ‘Merchant of Venice’
“The
quality of mercy is not strained
It
droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon
the place beneath. It is twice blest;
It
blesseth him that gives and him that takes
If
is enthroned in the hearts of kings;
It
is an attribute of God himself;
And
earthly power doth then show like God’s
When
mercy seasons justice”
With kind regards,
Yours sincerely,
(Justice
Markandey Katju
Former
Judge, Supreme Court of India, and
Presently
Chairman, Press Council of India)
Respected Justice Katju,
ReplyDeleteYour appeal finally seems to have been fruitful. Sarabjit Singh has been pardoned by the Prez of Pakistan. It was a very kind gesture and your request certainly seems to have made the difference. Only if more people thought like you, there will be a stronger India and stronger Pakistan.
Sincerely,
Vijay
It was a very kind gesture and your request certainly seems to have made the difference
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