KARACHI, Jan 4: A woman and four juvenile prisoners were released under the 60-day remission announced by the Sindh chief minister on the occasion of Eidul Azha. According to the sources, 43 other inmates of the Special Prison for Women and 23 of the Youthful Offenders’ Industrial School also benefited from the remission as their sentences as their prison term was reduced by 60 days.

A total of 410 juvenile prisoners, one of them a convict, were languishing in jail as on Dec 30, 2006 out of whom four were released and 23 got their term reduced under the 60-day remission.

Before Eid, there were 115 women prisoners, 63 of them convicts, in the women jail and only one of them could be released under the remission while another 43 got their term reduced. The convicts include two women who have been awarded capital punishment.

The prisoners convicted of murder, espionage, subversion, anti-state activities, sectarianism, Zina (Section 10), Offences of Zina Enforcement of Hudood Ordinance 1979 (also under Sec 377 PPC), robbery (Section 394 PPC), dacoity (Section 395, 396 PPC), kidnapping, abduction (Section 364-A and 365-A), and Terrorists Act (as described in Anti-terrorism Ordinance 1999, are not eligible for the remission.