Despite Pakistan's U-turn on Sarabjit Singh's release, his family members have called President Asif Ali Zardari a kind-hearted man and are hopeful that he would do the needful soon.
Appealing to Zardari to set Sarabjit free, his sister Dalbir Kaur said the whole world was awaiting the Pakistan President's next move.
Talking to mediapersons at the house of Swapandeep Kaur, Sarabjit's elder daughter, in Harnamdas Pura locality here on Wednesday, Dalbir said, "Sarabjit's counsel Awais Sheikh told us that the Pakistan government changed its decision due to some pressure. We are disappointed, but we will continue the struggle."
Welcoming the release of another Indian prisoner, Surjeet Singh, from a Pakistan jail, she said: "Sarabjit has been behind bars on the charges of spying, for which Gopal Dass, Roop Lal and Kashmir Singh were jailed but later freed. Why has my brother not been released?"
She urged Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal to approach Prime Minister Manmohan Singh along with other political parties for raising the issue with the Pakistan government, on the lines of efforts made in the case of Balwant Singh Rajoana, who is on death row for the assassination of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh.
Dalbir also requested Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Capt Amarinder Singh to take up the matter with his friend, Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister Parvez Elahi.
{{/usCountry}}Dalbir also requested Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Capt Amarinder Singh to take up the matter with his friend, Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister Parvez Elahi.
{{/usCountry}}Dalbir was accompanied by Sarabjit's wife Sukhpreet Kaur and his daughters Poonam and Swapandeep Kaur.
The family plans to meet external affairs minister SM Krishna and Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi to demand that the issue be raised during talks between foreign secretaries of the two countries next month. They are also keen to approach Pranab Mukherjee, presidential candidate of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), since he had assured them during his stint as the external affairs minister that he would take up the matter with the Pakistan government.