By Shahid Husain
KARACHI: Renowned social activist Dr Abdus Sattar Edhi has appealed to Indian President Prathiba Devi Singh Patil to ensure the release of 80-year-old Pakistani Dr Syed Mohammad Khalil Chishty on humanitarian grounds.
The Pakistani doctor was handed a 14-year sentence after he was found guilty of murder by the Rajasthan High Court.
Edhi said Dr Chishty was already suffering from various ailments and faced a marathon 19-year-long trial, before he was awarded a 14-year sentence in 2010. He urged Prime Minister Gilani and President Zardari to take up this issue with their Indian counterparts.
He highlighted that a large number of Indians and Pakistanis had been languishing in each other’s jails for the past several years for small offences.
Edhi also appealed to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Red Cross, International Committee of Red Cross and the Human Rights Commission of the United Nations to take up this issue on a priority basis.
