Shah Hussain's early release due to 'technical remissions': Punjab govt

Remissions given for Hussain's 'good conduct' and blood donations'

ISLAMABAD:

Punjab Prisons Minister Fayyazul Hassan Chohan on Tuesday said Shah Hussain – convicted for stabbing Khadija Siddiqui – did not receive any relief in the form of legal remission from any government official.

Hussain availed "technical remissions" which are given for blood donations and good conduct as per the law and the Constitution, said the minister in a video statement released today.

پنجاب حکومت، آئی جی جیل خانہ جات اور محکمہ داخلہ پنجاب کے خلاف چلائی گئی غلط میڈیا کمپین کا ڈراپ سین۔۔۔!!!! pic.twitter.com/Hofxtsn9kG

— Fayaz ul Hassan Chohan (@Fayazchohanpti) July 27, 2021

Chohan further stated that the details of Hussain’s release had been made been public.

The minister's response came after Hussain’s release sparked outrage, with thousands on social media blaming Punjab authorities.

I waited, waited and waited for them to reach out! Zero response.

I want answers from IG jail and Minister for prisons, @Fayazchohanpti

Your silence reeks of complicity

You are responsible for allowing early release of my attacker!

— khadija siddiqi (@khadijasid751) July 26, 2021

Siddiqui took to Twitter to question why she was not informed of the development and held Chohan "responsible for allowing early release” of her “attacker” on Monday.

The stabbing of a brave young lady, Khadija siddiqui was a grave & brutal crime for which the grant of remission by the prison authorities in Punjab, is not in keeping with fundamental right to life of the victim. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/OTiy1mMBa3

— Maleeka Bokhari (@MalBokhari) July 27, 2021

PTI Maleeka Bukhari said the remission granted to Hussain was "not in keeping with the fundamental right to life of the victim.

She added that as a lawyer and a women parliamentarian, she will advise the provincial government "to suitably amend the prison rules so that equitable justice is meted out to women victims of heinous offences".

A law student, Shah Hussain, stabbed his class fellow, Khadija Siddiqui, 23 times in Lahore in May 2016.

In 2019, he was put behind bars after a Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa reversed the Lahore High Court’s (LHC) earlier acquittal order.