By Chinmayee Dash: Pakistani microbiologist Mohammed Khalil Chishti, who is facing life imprisonment in India, was permitted by the Supreme Court to visit his homeland. But what about Sarabjit Singh, who is in Lahore jail and waiting for his release.


Indian apex court might have allowed the imprisoned Pak scientist to visit his homeland and meet his family, but the court did not analyse the agony of Sarabjit, who is waiting for a decision on his mercy petition.


His petition is still pending with Pak President Asif Ali Zardari. Sarabjit is spending his days and nights at the cell of Lahore jail with a hope that he will be pardoned, his execution will be terminated and one day he will be with his children in India.


Sarabjit has not seen blue sky for over two decades as told by a delegation of 15 lawyers from India, who had recently visited him in the jail on April 28.


But Indian apex court is quite kind enough to grant bail to Pakistani prisoner Chisti, who is accused in a murder case. The 80-year-old Chisti was granted bail after the Pakistani delegation raised the issue at the meeting between Zardari and Indian PM Manmohan Singh in April.


Indian government is putting pressure on its Pakistani counterpart to release Sarabjit but the result is before everyone that he is still behind the bar.


However, Indian government showed its liberalism after Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari on April 13 wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh appealing for the release of Chisti on humanitarian grounds.


But the question needs to be answered is: what about Sarabjit Singh who has been lodged in a Lahore jail for the past 21 years? President Zardari is still maintaining his silence on the issue.


Sarabjit is spending his time with a family of three cats at the E-7 cell in Lahore's Kot Lakhpat jail, where he has been kept in solitary confinement.


Sarabjit was awarded death sentence by the Pak court after he was convicted for his alleged involvement in 1990 serial bomb blasts in Lahore and Multan that claimed 14 lives. He was to be hanged in 2008. But his execution was deferred for indefinite period after the intervention of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani in the matter.


Sarabjit's family claimed that he is a victim of mistaken identity. He is a farmer by profession, but strayed into Pakistan by mistake crossing the border from his village, which is located on the Indo-Pak border.

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