With less than 48 hours remaining before the scheduled execution of Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya in Yemen, urgent humanitarian efforts are under way in a last-ditch attempt to save her life.

Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliyar, the Grand Mufti of India and a prominent Sunni religious leader, has stepped in, appealing directly to his Yemeni counterpart, Islamic scholar and Sufi leader Habib Umar bin Hafiz, to intervene in the case.

On Monday, attorney-general R. Venkataramani informed the Supreme Court that given the sensitive nature of the case, there was little the Indian government could do diplomatically.

Nimisha’s family, however, has not lost hope yet.

Her husband Tomy Thomas told The Telegraph: “I understand that the central government may have limitations, but I personally handed over a letter to home minister Amit Shah during his recent visit to Thiruvananthapuram.

“No one has bothered to find out how our daughter and I are living. I’m doing all kinds of odd jobs like driving autorickshaws, tapping rubber, performing supervisory work and whatnot. I’m unable to sleep. Still, I’m being positive and hoping to see Nimisha back in Kerala. I’m waiting and hoping for a miracle,” he said.

The couple’s 11-year-old daughter, born in Yemen, is under the care of a Christian educational institution in Kerala’s Idukki district.

Apart from the international campaign led by the Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council, local political leaders have also joined the effort. Chandy Oommen, MLA and son of former chief minister Oommen Chandy, has been vocal in seeking her release, taking up the matter with Kerala governor Rajendra Arlekar and religious leaders, including Kanthapuram.

“Due to Kanthapuram’s health issues, his travels abroad had been curtailed. Yemeni Islamic scholar Habib Umar bin Hafiz keeps visiting Kanthapuram twice a year, which shows their excellent camaraderie.

“He has had two rounds of talks with his Yemeni counterpart and also with the brother of the Yemeni victim. We are hoping for a positive outcome as the intervention of the judges of the Yemeni Supreme Court has been sought,” said K.K. Shameem, joint director (media and communications) of Markazu Saqafathi Sunniyya, an academic and charitable organisation based in Kozhikode, Kerala.

Nimisha, 36, is convicted of killing her Yemeni business partner, Talal Abdo Mahdi, in 2017, and is slated to be executed on Wednesday in Yemen.