Sarabjit's conviction is a miscarriage of justice: Lawyer

The conviction and imprisonment of Sarabjit Singh, an Indian on death row in a Pakistani jail for alleged involvement in a string of bomb attacks, was "an extraordinary miscarriage of justice", his lawyer has said in a new book.
Sarabjit was sentenced to death in 1990 after being convicted of alleged involvement in bombing in Lahore and Faisalabad that killed 14 people.
Awais Sheikh's book 'Sarabjit Singh: A Case of Mistaken Identity' will be launched at the Lahore Press Club tomorrow, explaining why he believes Singh's conviction and imprisonment is "an extraordinary miscarriage of justice".
In his 199-page book, Sheikh states that his client accidentally crossed the border into Pakistan and was then set up to take the fall for the bombings, The Express Tribune reported today.

The book details several flaws in the investigation, trial and appeals in Sarabjit's case.
The book also includes letters written by Sarabjit to his family in India and to the Indian and Pakistani governments seeking his release.

Sheikh writes that Singh did not get due process, that fundamental legal issues were not addressed, and that the investigation agency introduced false witnesses.
"Sarabjit has certainly been a victim of unfair conviction that has caused him to be in prison for his entire adult life," he writes.
The FIR in the case, registered on the complaint of then Lahore Commissioner Shahid Rafi, names Manjit Singh, son of Mehanga Singh, as the bomber.

Sheikh points out that his client is Sarabjit Singh, son of Salakhan Singh. Sarabjit was produced in a magistrate's court by a Military Intelligence officer on September 8, 1990.
The magistrate proceeded with the case of Manjit Singh and "did not listen to Sarabjit, who repeatedly said that he was not Manjit Singh. He did not bother to confirm and verify the name of the accused produced in his court," the book states.
Having failed to resolve the question of identity, Sheikh writes: "All subsequent proceedings in this case are illegal and against the facts of the case.