Dalbir Kaur, sister of Indian prisoner in Pakistan Sarabjit Singh, is hopeful that Pakistan's Human Rights minister Ansar Burney will bring some good news for her and her family members after his meeting with President Pervez Musharraf.
Burney had promised Dalbir Kaur that he would take up the matter Musharraf soon after a daily said Sarabjit would be hanged to death on April 1. He had been dubbed a RAW agent and sentenced to death for carrying out subversive activities in Pakistan.
His mercy petition was rejected on March 3 by the Pakistan President. The family said he had been wrongly implicated in the case.
"This morning I met Rahul Gandhi and he has promised to do whatever he can. He also promised to take up the matter with Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh," Dalbir Kaur said after her meeting.
"I believe two more mercy petitions can be filed before Musharraf and this gives us hope," she said.
Punjab chief minister Prakash Singh Badal has sought time to meet Singh to discuss the issue.
Those who are close to Dalbir Kaur allege "some persons close" to Sonia had not allowed the family to call on the Congress president.
Sources indicate that Pakistan is building up pressure to seek release of some of its citizens, who face death sentence in India.
Kaur blamed Kashmir Singh, who was released recently from Pakistan, for the latest development. Singh on his arrival in India had claimed that he was a spy.
"That had an adverse impact on my brother's case," she said.
