Formalities stall Sarabjit release: Pak leaders

The release of Sarabjit Singh, an Indian national languishing in a Pakistan jail, is "a formalities away", according to Jehangir Badr, secretary general of the ruling Pakistan People's Party and leader of the house in the senate of his country.

"Some formalities remain to be completed between the governments of the two countries to pave the way for Sarabjit's freedom on humanitarian ground. I am saying this on the basis of discussions at the top level of the Pakistan government," said Badr, who was part of an all-party delegation of Pakistan parliamentarians, which was here on Saturday.

He and other delegation leaders said the Pakistan government was serious considering the option of repatriating Indian nationals who had served a certain category of sentence in Pakistani jails.

"Besides, the Pakistan government is also keen to shift to India some convicts if the Indian government agreed to lodge them in its jails for the remaining period of their sentences awarded by Pakistan courts," Badr said.

Badr, however, dismissed as 'speculation' media reports about the exodus of Hindus from Pakistan due to safety concerns. "Hindu families are coming to India to meet their relatives and they don't have any intention to stay here for good. We have met some families at the Wagah border and they greeted us by raising the slogan, Pakistan Zindabad," he said.

The delegation, which is on a weeklong visit to the country, met chief minister Nitish Kumar and visited Maner Sharif Dargah, about 23 km west of the state capital. Deputy chairman of senate Sabir Baloch, Jahangir Badar, Haji Adeel, Khurram Dastagir and Nafeesa Shah, Faisal Karim Kundi, Mushahid Hussain Syed and Shazia Marri, were part of the delegation.