By IANS,
Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal Thursday sought help from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh regarding 17 Indian youth, including 16 from Punjab, sentenced to death by a court in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on charges of murdering a Pakistani national.
In a letter to the prime minister Thursday, Badal urged him to intervene immediately with the UAE government to ensure justice for the youth.
Badal pointed that 17 people had been convicted for a single murder and it looked out of place.
“Therefore, we have to be more cautious to see that there was no miscarriage of justice,” Badal said.
The chief minister also requested the prime minister to advise the external affairs ministry to provide necessary legal aid to the youth.
Badal pointed out that labourers and skilled workers from Punjab had worked day and night during last 25 years for infrastructure development in the UAE and other Middle East countries.
He said that all these Punjabi youth were the sole breadwinners of their respective families and most of them had mortgaged their small land-holdings to arrange for their visa and visit to the UAE.