December 9, 2002	Monday	Shawwal 4,1423

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RAWALPINDI, Dec 8: About 300 people were sentenced to death in the first nine months of the current year in the Punjab province, a report released by International Human Rights Monitor (IHRM), a local NGO, showed on Sunday.

The report stated that 14 persons were executed during the first seven months. About 5,400 men, 28 women and 125 juveniles are awaiting execution throughout the country, it added.

The 29 district jails in the province, the report said, were overcrowded and housing inmates almost double of their capacity. These prisons are having 54,729 inmates against a capacity of 27,314.

It said 11,929 prisoners were serving their sentences, while the remaining were under trial. Moreover, 6,217 prisoners are in jail in the province in connection with drug related offences.

The IHRM chief executive, Ulfat Kazmi, said during the past 12 years, the number of inmates in jails increased by 20,627. He said the period of incarceration during trial was counted in the actual sentence, but the remissions announced by the government during the period of trial were not included.

This, he said, was great injustice with the prisoners. Mr Kazmi said the jail administrations were facing difficulties in coping with such a huge burden of prisoners.

The IHRM chief said 11 districts in the province were without jails, owing to which the prisoners belonging to these areas were sent to the jails in other districts, causing great inconvenience to their family members.

The report, mentioning disciplinary action taken against jail staff, said two jail superintendents were sent on forced retirement during past three years, while another was demoted. Similarly, nine deputy superintendents and 19 assistant superintendents were awarded various punishments.

Among the lower staff, it said, 168 wardens were suspended and services of 113 terminated, while 1,563 other staff members were given minor punishments.

The services of two employees of the clerical cadre were terminated. In addition to this, 33 jail employees are being investigated for wrongdoings, the report said.