New Delhi, Aug. 27: Hopes of death row convict Sarabjit Singh’s release got a shot in the arm today after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said “appropriate messages” have been sent to Pakistan.

The comment came on a day Pakistan said it was ready to talk about prisoners in each other’s jails.

Singh’s comment, which should boost the morale of those clamouring for the release of the alleged Indian spy sentenced to death for setting off blasts, came after a book release at his residence.

Asked if he would speak to President Pervez Musharraf, Singh said “on my behalf, appropriate messages have been conveyed to Pakistan”.

In Delhi, Pakistan home secretary Syed Kamal Shah, who arrived for talks with his Indian counterpart V.K. Duggal, said usually the agenda of India-Pakistan home secretary-level talks is terrorism and drug trafficking.

However, this time “we have requested that we would like to discuss the issue of prisoners held in both the countries”, he said.

Yesterday, Pakistan granted permission to Indian diplomats to meet the condemned man.

Asked if Sarabjit would figure in the talks, the Pakistan home secretary said: “Let us see what happens during the discussions.”

Duggal, too, did not confirm if he would take up Sarabjit’s release with Shah. But he said “given the current climate between the two countries, we are very hopeful that the talks will be extremely positive”.

Earlier this week, foreign minister K. Natwar Singh met the Pakistan envoy and his deputy and told them that Islamabad should look at the case from a humanitarian point of view and try to ascertain the claims of Sarabjit’s family and lawyers that he is innocent.