Bill to regulate convicts probation adopted

Parole committee to be set up at provincial level in K-P

PESHAWAR:

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Monday unanimously adopted ‘Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Probation and Parole Bill 2021’ to regulate the probation of convicts.

The bill was presented in the house by Local Government Minister Akbar Ayub with Speaker Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani in the chair.

The statement of objectives of the bill states, “It is desirable to promote and regulate the probation of convicts, their conditional release from prison before the completion of the term in their imprisonment to which they have been sentenced, their rehabilitation and integration in order to make their lives purposeful and peaceful in society.”

Under the act, all competent and established courts including the high court would have jurisdiction to pass a sentence of probation in a manner as specified in the act.

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Moreover, the court may pass a probation order, in accordance with the sentencing guidelines after considering the age and the gender of the convict, the psychological and physical condition of the convict, the place of temporary and permanent resident or area of domicile of convict and the nature of the offence.

A parole committee at the provincial level comprising an additional secretary for home and tribal affairs, inspector general of prison and two persons from civil society to be nominated by the government would be constituted. The parole committee would be convened once a month to decide upon the recommendation of the parole sub-committee.

The parole sub-committee would be constituted in each prison consisting of superintendent prison, probation concerned and parole officer in the district, public prosecutor police officer and two persons one male and female from civil society to be nominated by the Home and Tribal Affairs department.

Earlier, the house also passed K-P Home Based Workers (Welfare and Protection Bill, 2021 moved by Minister for Labour Shaukat Ali Yousafzai and two bills, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Factories (Amendment) Bill 202 and KP Shops and Establishment Bill, 2021 were tabled in the House for discussion.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 3^rd, 2021.