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New Delhi, Jul 1: Pakistan has offered to release Sarabjeet Singh in exchange of Mohd Arif, the prime accused in the Red Fort attack case.

However, the Pakistan Foreign Office has denied any official confirmation of this exchange.

Arif, currently lodged in Tihar Jail, is facing a death sentence for his alleged involvement in the Red Fort attack case.

Pakistan claims that Arif has been wrongly accused by Indian authorities in the Red fort case.

Sarabjit from Punjab's Bhikiwind was given the death sentence for his alleged involvement in bomb blasts in Lahore and Faisalabad in 1990.

His review petition has been rejected by Pakistan's Supreme Court.

Sarabjit maintains that he has been falsely implicated and was caught after he strayed across the border while farming.

The Indian Government too, on Friday, denied having received any official communication on the reported swap of Sarabjeet with Arif.

"We have not heard anything officially on this," a spokesman of the External Affairs Ministry said in reply to a question.

Pak denies quid pro quo offer on Sarabjit

NDTV

New Delhi: India has claimed that Pakistan has proposed a quid pro quo in Sarabjit Singh's case.

According to Sriprakash Jaiswal, MOS Home, Pakistan has asked India to return Mohammed Arif alias Ashfaq in exchange of pardon for Sarabjit, an Indian on death row in Pakistan.

"The government considers such lists and after carefully looking into all aspects, it takes a decision. We have requested Pakistan to release some Indian prisoners," said Jaiswal.

"There is a prisoner called Arif. I don't remember the name nor the list exactly, but they have also made a request to our government and we have also made a request," he added.

Islamabad, however, has flatly denied any such offer.

Exchange offer?

Arif, currently lodged in Tihar Jail, is facing a death sentence for his alleged involvement in the Red Fort attack case. The attack also killed three army men.

Arif's wife Rehmana Yusuf Farooqui, who is of Indian origin, was sentenced to seven-year imprisonment for sheltering him before and after the incident.

Sarabjit Singh from Punjab's Bhikiwind was awarded the death sentence for his alleged involvement in bomb blasts in Lahore and Faisalabad in 1990.

His review petition has already been rejected by the Pakistan Supreme Court.

Sarabjit though maintains that he has been falsely implicated and was caught after he strayed across the border while farming.

Just as India claims that Sarabjit is innocent and was not responsible for the Lahore-Faisalabad bombings in 1999, Pakistan claims that Mhd Arif has been wrongly accused by the Indian authorities.

Controversy deepens

Sources have told NDTV that the issue came up in the last Home Secretary-level talks held in Islamabad last month.

However, in what could become a full-blown controversy, Pakistan has flatly denied that it has made any such request.

"No such request has been made," insisted Tasneem Aslam, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Pakistan.

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf had given an unofficial assurance to India about Sarabjit Singh. But with this new controversy, that assurance and Sarabjit's life seem uncertain.