UAE death row issue: Sukhbir seeks PM's intervention

Accusing the Union government of not making sincere efforts to save 17 Indians facing gallows in the UAE, Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal on Monday sought personal intervention of the President and the Prime Minister in the matter.

Accusing the Union government of not making sincere efforts to save 17 Indians facing gallows in the UAE, Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal on Monday sought personal intervention of the President and the Prime Minister in the matter.

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Chief Minister and SAD supremo Parkash Singh Badal would meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on April 7 to take up the issue with him, he told reporters in Jalandhar.

"The Centre has virtually made no sincere efforts to save the Indian youths facing capital punishment in the UAE," Sukhbir said.

"It is the responsibility of the Union government to file an appeal in the higher court," he said appealing to both the President and the Prime Minister to personally intervene in the matter.

On steps taken by the state government, Sukhbir said "the state cannot take up the issue directly with the UAE government."

"We can only appeal to the Centre and in this regard the Chief Minister will meet the Prime Minister on Wednesday," he said.

Yesterday, Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur met families of the convicted Indians and assured them all support.

Seventeen Indians were sentenced to death on March 29 by a Sharjah Shariah court for allegedly killing a Pakistani last year.