ISLAMABAD, Aug 11: President Gen Pervez Musharraf has granted special remission in sentences to prisoners on the occasion of Independence Day, a letter issued by the interior ministry said.

The remission has been granted under article 45 of the constitution on the directives of Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz.

Those convicted under the Foreigners Act-1946 and under the cases processed by the National Accountability Bureau would not be entitled to any remission. The prisoners convicted on or before Aug 13, 2005, are entitled to the remission.

Following the orders of the president, the federal government has directed all provinces to give special remission in sentences to prisoners on the occasion of August 14. In this connection, letters have been sent to the home departments of Punjab, Sindh, the NWFP and Balochistan and Northern Areas.

Under the president’s directive, a 90-day special remission would be given to prisoners awarded life term except those convicted for murder, espionage, anti-state activities, sectarianism, zina (section 10 offence of Zina enforcement of Hudood ordinance 1979 and under section 377 PPC), robbery, dacoity, kidnapping/abduction and terrorist acts.

Similarly, special remissions of 45 days would be given to the convicts except those convicted of murder, espionage, subversion, anti-state activities, terrorist acts, zina, kidnapping/ abduction, robbery, dacoity and those undergo sentences under the Foreigners Act.

The special remission would be admissible provided the convicts have completed two-thirds of their substantive sentence of imprisonment.

Total remission would be granted to male prisoners who are 65 years of age or above and for females who are 60 years of age and above and have completed at least one-third of their sentence, except those involved in culpable homicide and terrorist acts, the letter said.

A special remission of one year would be granted to female prisoners accompanying children and are serving sentence for crimes other than culpable homicide and those involved in terrorist acts.

The interior ministry’s letter said total remission would be granted to juvenile convicts (under 18 years of age) who have completed one-third of their sentence except those involved in culpable homicide, terrorist act, zina, robbery, dacoity, kidnapping/abduction and anti-state acts.