28 August 2004	Saturday	11 Rajab 1425

PESHAWAR, Aug 27: The Society for Protection of Rights of the Child (SPARC) has appealed to President Pervez Musharraf to release a juvenile offender, Shakeem Gul, serving a 10-year prison term under the Frontier Crimes Regulation.

Shakeem Gul had already served four years out of 10 years at Haripur central prison, says a spokesman of the organization in a press release issued here on Friday.

The organization informed that a letter was sent to the president, requesting him to take action in Gul's case as he was innocent and was convicted by the tribal administration without any valid reason. At the time of his arrest he was 16.

It is stated that the offender was arrested on June 19, 2000, by the administration of South Waziristan Agency. The concerned assistant political agent (APA) had convicted him, exercising his powers under the FCR, and ordered that after completion of his term he had to furnish security bonds of Rs3,00,000 of three reliable sureties each.

The official had ordered that in case of failure of producing sureties he had to spent three more years in the prison under the FCR. The SPARC claimed that Shakeem Gul was charged under five sections of the Pakistan Penal Code read with section 11 and 40 of the FCR.

According to the order of the assistant political agent, he was arrested when he was wandering in suspicious manner in the Wana bazaar. The organization claimed that he had no one to submit appeal on his behalf or help him. Their enemies had killed his father and elder brother, and his mother and two younger brothers are looking his way helplessly. Even after completing his sentence his release would be conditional.