PESHAWAR, Dec 16: The government has converted death penalties awarded to juvenile prisoners into life imprisonments countrywide.

Informed prison sources told Dawn that necessary instructions had been issued to police officials to mark the Eid. Special remissions have also been announced for old prisoners.

The sources said that the capital punishments awarded to all such prisoners who were minor at the time of the offence would be converted into life imprisonment.

They said that a juvenile offender who had been sentenced to life imprisonment and had completed four-and-a-half-years, should be entitled to remission for the rest of his term. Juvenile and old age prisoners who were not sentenced to life and have completed one-thirds of their terms are entitled to full remission. Other prisoners have been granted remission for six months.