Manmohan advocates Pak inmate's release

PM has asked Home Minister P Chidambaram to examine if the request of a Supreme Court judge for pardon to Pakistani scientist -prisoner Khalil Chishty could be considered on “humanitarian” grounds as the octogenarian has not returned to his homeland for the last 19 years due to the judicial proceedings and currently languished in Ajmer jail.
Singh has forwarded to Chidambaram the letter of request received from Justice Markandeya Katju.

“I shall be grateful if you could examine the request of Justice Katju to see if a pardon to Dr Khalil Chishty could be considered on humanitarian grounds,” the Prime Minister said in his letter to Chidambaram.

Justice Katju has made a “personal” appeal to Singh to release on “humanitarian grounds” Chishty, an 80-year-old Pakistani virologist who is in Indian jail since 1992 in a murder case.

Singh has also responded to Congress MP Rajiv Shukla, through whom the judge made the appeal, and informed him about his letter to the Home Minister.