KARACHI: Charity organisations and philanthropists have paid millions of rupees to get released some 300 poor prisoners who had completed their sentences but were confined in different jails across the province because of their inability to pay fines, it emerged on Wednesday.

The gesture on humanitarian grounds by different individuals and welfare organisations has resulted in freedom of hundreds of prisoners who were otherwise unable to come out of jails on their own despite completing their term due to poverty and lack of resources.

The initiative had brought relief for many families, jail officials said, adding that such moves were mostly seen in the month of Ramazan.

“Recently some 300 prisoners from different jails of Sindh were set free after their financial penalties or fines were paid by different individuals and NGOs [non-governmental organisations],” said an official source privy to the details of the freed prisoners.

“In such cases, people or organisations contact jail authorities seeking details of those convicted prisoners who had completed their terms but couldn’t come out due to non-payments of fines, penalties or compensation imposed by courts. Those inmates also include those facing imprisonment due to non-payment of any penalty imposed by the law,” the source added.

The representative of a charity says a permanent fund needed to help poor prisoners

Besides, the provincial government had paid more than Rs330 million for the release of 37 convicts, who had completed their sentences but were languishing in jails because of their inability to pay diyat, daman or arsh — different kinds of compensation — imposed by the courts.

“So, you can say that there are two types of prisoners set free recently,” explained the source. “One is the type which included 37 prisoners who were freed after the Sindh government paid their compensation money. The second type relates to 300 poor prisoners who were unable to pay their fines and were compelled to spend their days in prison. These 300 people came out of the prisons with the support of some individuals and organisations.”

Those released had been identified before payment of their fines by NGOs and philanthropists. They were not hardened criminals and only caught by the law for domestic issues or their involvement in petty crimes due to poverty.

“You will find hundreds of people in prisons who are not criminals but suffer due to their minor part in any illegal activity only for a few rupees, which they badly need for their families,” said Fawad Sherwani of the Al-Khidmat organisation, the charity wing of the Jamaat-i-Islami, which helped dozens of prisoners by paying their penalties and fines.

“In this whole exercise we are assisted by jail authorities to spot such prisoners. We also met their families and made sure about their credentials and past records before making final move for their release,” he said.

He said that a large number of prisoners in Sindh and other parts of the country had been suffering mainly due to their poverty despite completing their prison terms.

“We believe that there should be a permanent fund to help those convicts who are not hardened criminals but land in jail for minor offences or traffic accidents or any domestic disputes and then continue to stay in prisons despite completing their sentence since they are unable to pay fines,” said Mr Sherwani.

Published in Dawn, July 18th, 2019