Funds to win prisoners freedom go unused

Punjab, Sindh home departments fail to recommend prisoners for release.

ISLAMABAD:

For some prisoners who’ve completed their sentences, the only thing holding them back from freedom is a fine they can’t afford to pay. In this case, the ministry of human rights can pay the fines through funds allocated for this purpose.

Unfortunately for a number of languishing inmates, the indifference of the Sindh and Punjab provincial home departments to the cause means the funds have remained largely unused, as was observed at a meeting on Monday headed by Adviser to the Prime Minister on Human Rights, Mustafa Nawaz Khokar. The purpose of the meeting of the administrative committee of Diyat, Arsh and Daman was to consider lists of prisoners recommended by respective provincial home departments for receiving funds for release.

“Despite repeated reminders, the Punjab and Sindh home departments have failed to send the recommended lists of prisoners ... who have completed their terms in jails and are languishing due to not being able to afford their fines,” said  Shahid Rafiq, an official of the human rights ministry.

K-P, Balochistan submit lists

Rafiq added that only Khyber-Pakthunkhwa (K-P) and Balochistan have forwarded lists of deserving prisoners so far.  Even then, the K-P list was found to be unsatisfactory and did not fulfil necessary criteria. On the other hand, Balochistan’s recommended list was thorough and in accordance with rules, which was appreciated by the ministry.

The meeting decided to grant funds for three out of eight recommended prisoners of Balochistan and to release a grant worth Rs1.07 million immediately, while the ministry of human rights will send more guidelines to other provinces for recommending prisoners for the grant, in order to ensure transparency.

Money unspent

Rafiq also said that the ministry had access to more than Rs4 million for years now, but they had remained unspent because the home departments had never demanded them.

“We have written letters separately to the chief ministers and home departments of Punjab and Sindh, but no response was received from either,” he maintained.

The meeting also decided to form a Rules Amendment Committee for removing further anomalies in the rules of Diyat, Arsh and Daman. It was also decided to involve the regional directorates of the human rights ministry in the process to make it more transparent, as they could verify the conditions of the prisoners on the lists.

Khokar urged the Punjab and Sindh home ministries to provide the recommended lists of prisoners as soon as possible.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 24^th, 2012.