Sindh frees 829 prisoners amid COVId-19 spread

F.P. Report

KARACHI: The Sindh government on Thursday released as many as 829 prisoners charged with minor offences from the various jails of the province amid COVID-19 outbreak.

Only those prisoners are included in the list that have finished their sentences but have failed to pay their penalty bonds.

Earlier, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah talking to media said the Sindh government wanted to reduce the number of inmates in various jails that housed more than 16,000.

Similarly, Islamabad High Court (IHC) had already ordered the release of over 400 prisoners. It is pertinent to mention that there are 114 jails in Pakistan with 77,275 prisoners against the capacity of 57,742 inmates.

A vast majority of the prison population is of under-trial prisoners who have not been convicted of a crime, according to Amnesty International that has urged Pakistan authorities to protect the lives of inmates amid COVID-19.