Burney, the former human rights minister, said he had been informed by a “knowledgeable and responsible source” that the Pakistan Law Ministry had sent a “summary” (formal proposal) to the Interior Ministry to convert all death sentences to life imprisonment.

“If this move is cleared by the Interior Ministry, it will apply to all cases of prisoners awarded death sentence, including Sarabjit. One cannot make a distinction by saying that a convict was involved in terrorism or that he killed more people than another convicted person,” Burney added.

Burney and his rights’ organisation have been at the forefront of a campaign to convert all death sentences to life imprisonment.