642 Prisoners in Rawalpindi Granted 9-Month Sentence Cut

News Desk 

Rawalpindi: More than 642 prisoners from the Rawalpindi region have benefited from a 9-month reduction in their prison sentences, initiatives by both the federal and Punjab governments.

On the recommendation of Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, President Asif Ali Zardari declared Pakistan Day and Eid-ul-Fitr.

However, the reduction in prisoners’ sentences was only by six months, contrary to the initial announcement by Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz, who had declared a 3-month reduction in punishments for prisoners across Punjab.

Following the announcement of amnesty by the President, the sentences of 411 prisoners from Central Jail Rawalpindi, 71 from District Jail Attock, 42 from District Jail Gujarat, 27 from District Jail Jhelum, 21 from District Jail Mandi Bahauddin, and six from Sub Jail Chakwal were reduced.

A total of 578 prisoners from the Rawalpindi region have benefited from this exemption, with an additional nine prisoners spared due to the announcement of amnesty. Among those spared, six were from Adiala Jail, one from Gujarat Jail, and two from Jhelum Jail.

Moreover, 64 prisoners across Rawalpindi’s jails benefited from Maryam Nawaz’s amnesty announcement. This included 52 inmates from Adiala Jail, seven from Attock Jail, three from Gujarat Jail, and two from Mandi Bahauddin Jail.

It’s important to note that the reduction in sentences did not apply to individuals involved in serious crimes such as murder, espionage, anti-state activities, rape, theft, robbery, kidnapping, terrorism, financial crimes, or damage to the national treasury.

Additionally, male prisoners above 65 years of age were eligible for sentence reductions.

Furthermore, reductions were applied to those who had served at least one-third of their sentences, including female prisoners over the age of 60 and individuals under 18 years old.

The news, originally published in Daily Jang, and has been translated by ThePenPK.com.