Sindh to release eight terminally ill prisoners from jails

KARACHI: Sindh home department has ordered release of eight terminally ill convicts from various jails of the province, ARY News reported on Saturday.

The prisoners being released under an order of the Supreme Court in light of a provincial cabinet decision made in a session in December.

Eight convicted prisoners were being released early from the prisons on account of being terminally ill or suffering from incurable diseases under the Sindh Prisons and Corrections Services Act 2019.

The convicts in Karachi, Hyderabad and Sukkur central jails are being released for a period of four months and were subject to meeting all formalities and conditions as laid down in the order.

According to the order, the families were required to submit a bond of Rs200,000 with concerned provincial authority prior to the release of the convict.

The prison authorities, will hand over the physical custody of the prisoners to their families who have submitted the surety bond.

A probation and parole officer will supervise the matter and will submit monthly reports to the home department throughout temporary release of a convict.

Moreover, the release of prisoners will be purely on medical ground and the release period could further be extended by the competent authority.

Sindh is the only province in the country where the 125-year-old jail law has been amended.