Pak SC adjourns Sarabjit's hearing till Wed

Pakistan's Supreme Court on Monday adjourned till Wednesday the hearing of a review petition challenging the death sentence given to Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh for his alleged involvement in the bomb blasts.

The apex court issued a notice to Sarabjit's lawyer after he failed to appear in the court.

A three-member bench is to hear the review petition.

Sarabjit has been on death row since he was convicted for his alleged involvement in four bomb blasts in 1990 that killed 14 people in Pakistan.

Sarabjit was set to be hanged on April 1 last year though authorities put off his execution indefinitely after Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani intervened in the matter.

His execution was initially deferred for 30 days by former President Pervez Musharraf. This was done so that the Pakistan People's Party-led government could review his case following India's appeal for clemency.

Pakistan's Supreme Court and Musharraf had earlier turned down Sarabjit's mercy petitions. In October last year, then Law Minister Farooq Naek met Sarabjit at Kot Lakhpat jail in Lahore to examine his case so that President Asif Ali Zardari could take a decision on the issue.

Naek, who is now Chairman of the Senate, had then pointed out that Sarabjit's mercy petition had been dismissed by the Supreme Court and only the President had the powers to pardon or remit his sentence.