Imprisoned indians: CJ disposes of suo motu notice

LAHORE: Lahore High Court Chief Justice (CJ) Ijaz Ahmad Chaudhry on Tuesday disposed of a suo motu notice regarding the incarceration of two Indian women in Kot Lakhpat jail after the federal and provincial governments told the court that both women had been released and had left for their country. A deputy attorney general and an assistant advocate general informed the court that the women had been sent to India after fulfilling all requirements. The CJ had taken suo motu notice on a letter written by Parveen Jahan and Gul Afroz. They stated that they had been confined in Kot Lakhpat jail. They said being Indian nationals they were not being released from jail as their passports and other travel documents were lying with home secretary for clearance. Previously, a law officer of the Punjab government had told the court both the women were arrested when one kilogramme heroin was recovered from them. A trial court had handed down a one-and-a-half year sentence to each of them. He said their jail term had expired and their case had been sent to the federal government’s review board. He pointed out that foreign prisoners were released only when their embassies identified them as their nationals.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 3^rd, 2011.