RAWALPINDI: Over 450 prisoners convicted in terrorism cases have been shifted from different jails of Punjab to the first ever high security prison established in Sahiwal.

A senior official in the prison department told Dawn on the condition of anonymity that about 925 convicted prisoners serving time in different jails across the province would be shifted to the new jail.

He said under the first phase, 450 prisoners had been taken to the Sahiwal prison which had the capacity to house 1,044 prisoners.

“Whoever is involved in terrorism and sectarian cases will be shifted to the high security prison.” He added prisoners who had been sentenced to life imprisonment would also be shifted to Sahiwal.

A source said the Adiala jail authorities had started preparing lists of convicted prisoners in terrorism and sectarian related cases for their transfer to Sahiwal.

According to official sources, 26 prisoners involved in terrorism and six in sectarian cases are in Adiala Jail.

Of these prisoners, seven have been awarded the death sentence and their appeals are under process. Among the six prisoners in sectarian cases, three have been sentenced to death.

The source said Mumtaz Qadri, the killer of former Punjab governor Salman Taseer, was also likely to be shifted to the Sahiwal jail.

In October 2015, the Supreme Court of Pakistan maintained the conviction of Mumtaz Qadri awarded to him by an anti-terrorism court.

However, Qadri has submitted a mercy appeal to the president of Pakistan.

Published in Dawn, January 5th, 2016