Sarabjit versus the 26/11 masterminds

Sarabjit has been handed the death sentence for his alleged involvement in the four bomb blasts which killed 14 people in Pakistan. But what about those whose acts of terror killed hundreds in India?

CJ: Moumita De Roy

Mon, Jun 29, 2009 12:17:55 IST

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THE DISMISSAL of Sarabjit's review petition by the Pakistan Supreme Court, seems ironic. Is he a victim of revenge? This question has stemmed from the differential treatment between terrorists who operate from Pakistan and the loner, Sarabjit whose guilt is yet to be proved. Sarabjit had been convicted by an anti-terrorism court in Pakistan. Sarabjit Singh was handed a death sentence for his alleged involvement in four bomb blasts which killed 14 people.

But what about those human-faced devils whose terror has killed hundreds in India and left the whole nation traumatised for years to come? Is this not open bias which the world should protest? Contextually, the case of Afzal Guru who attacked the Indian Parliament in 2001, is an unpardonable crime. But when the death sentence was pronounced in his case, waves of speculation sounded in the political corridors. The question of whether capital punishment is ethical or not has kept the case unresolved. The most recent terror massacre in Mumbai which still burns in many minds, is another glaring example of the irony. Even after one of the terrorists was caught red-handed and even in the face of irrefutable evidence, Pakistan is still doing everything to ensure that his case is buried in the debris of time.

Does the country realise that its game-playing makes a travesty of its own credibility and system of justice? It is quite clear that there was judicial manipulation in Sarabjit's case, in the way his lawyer abstained from the proceedings. It must be noted that the bomb blasts that saw the alleged involvement of Sarabjit, had claimed 14 lives. On the other hand, in India's encounters, more than 150 people were killed and hundreds injured and there are few accounts of all those people who continue to face trauma, fear and shock. So why is India showing mercy to Kasab whose crime need not be proved?

The immediate release of the 26/11 mastermind after some dilly-dallying shows Pakistan's controversial attitude to tightening the judicial noose around these terrorists. Sarabjit is only alive in bone and flesh. After rotting in the jails of Pakistan for decades, he doesn't have much of a life. The US which has been providing handsome financial aid in return for Pakistan's commitment to fight terrorism, should keep track of these events.

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