14 November 2004	Sunday	01 Shawwal 1425

HARIPUR, Nov 13: At least 44 prisoners, including two women, convicted of crimes of not heinous nature were released here on Saturday.

President Gen Pervez Musharraf and NWFP Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani had announced 'special Eid remission of two months' respectively for women and men undergoing jail terms but not sentenced for serious crimes like murder and terrorist activities.

Sources said that six prisoners, including two women, were released from the Haripur central prison under the two month remission award, nine men got the remission benefit of two months from the chief minister and were set free.

Likewise, five men were released under the special remissions from the IG prisons, 14 were released giving benefit of 30-day remission by the jail superintendent for good and exemplary conduct and 10 of those were released who had completed their jail-term but could not be set free as they were unable to pay the fine imposed on them by different courts.

The jail superintendent, Malik Fakhr-i-Alam Khan, paid Rs40,000 for the 10 prisoners and released them. However any of the remission did not have any affect on 14 children and three women serving jail terms under the 40 FCR.

These prisoners belonged to the families of Arsala Khan and his brother Qadir Jan of Lakki Marwat tehsil. The two brothers were accused of kidnapping 14 people, including two women and two FC men, their rival tribe.

The political administration had arrested all the family members and awarded each of them including some infants and children below the age of nine years, 3-year jail-term and shifted them to Haripur in April.

Meanwhile, Haripur Additional District Judge Ikhtiar Khan had acquitted Hussan Pari of Ghazi tehsil, who was arrested on charges of setting on fire her close relative Sardari Begum wife of Mushtaq Ahmad.

The victim, who later died of burn in the hospital also recorded her statement and accused Hussan Pari of the crime.

The court of Additional District Judge Zubair Khan acquitted Akbar Khan and his two co-accused who were directly nominated in the FIR for murder of one Majid Khan, son of Darvesh Khan, of Kupri union council Narra Amazai.

The same court also acquitted Fareed and Bashir of Mankraye village who were apprehended on charges of assassinating one Abdul Zahoor son of Khalil Khan.