May 9 convict to be moved closer to home, LHC rules

Court finds continued detention in Sialkot jail 'against spirit of Prison Rules'

LAHORE:

The Lahore High Court (LHC) has directed the Inspector General (IG) Prisons Punjab to transfer Muhammad Farukh, convicted by a military court in connection with the May 9 riots, from Sialkot Jail to Central Jail Faisalabad.

Justice Farooq Haider issued the order after hearing Farukh's petition, in which he highlighted the absence of any written judgment or formal transfer order despite repeated requests to the Defence Secretary and other authorities.

Farukh, a civilian tried in-camera by a military tribunal and sentenced to five years' imprisonment, is challenging the constitutionality of his trial before the Supreme Court.

He argued that his arrest, trial, and conviction all took place in Faisalabad—where he and his family reside—yet he has been held in Sialkot Cantt and then Sialkot Jail.

"This arrangement has imposed severe hardship on my family," Farukh told the court.

He is the sole breadwinner for a household that includes a wife and two young children, aged two and four. Each week they endure a three-hour journey from Faisalabad to Sialkot merely to visit him, straining their limited finances and forcing them to miss some visits altogether.

His children's education and emotional well-being have suffered due to the distance and irregular meet-ups.

Justice Haider observed that, under the spirit of the Prison Rules, relocating a prisoner closer to his home-especially when the offence, arrest, and initial trial occurred there—serves both the family's welfare and the prisoner's rehabilitation. The IG Prisons Punjab has been summoned to comply with the court's directive and to ensure that all procedural requirements for the transfer are completed without delay.

Meanwhile, A three-member bench of the Lahore High Court, led by Chief Justice Aalia Neelum, on Thursday adjourned hearings in multiple petitions—including one seeking implementation of the Anti-Rape (Investigation and Trial) Act and another challenging the ban on X (formerly Twitter)—after being informed that Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Usman Awan had returned to Islamabad.