KARACHI, Aug 21: Four women prisoners, all foreigners, in the Special Prison for Women have benefited from the special remission granted on the occasion of the Independence Day.

One of the beneficiaries, Justina Edet, got her prison term completed after being given the remission. She will be repatriated to Nigeria, her native country.

The other three who got their terms reduced are Alimatou Usman and Anita Mohammad of Nigeria and Naima Suleiman of Tanzania, all of whom have been convicted for drug trafficking.

About 90 of the total 230 women prisoners out of whom 70 are convicts and the rest are under trail. Almost all the foreigners in this jail have been arrested on drug trafficking charge.

The special remission would have benefited many more prisoners but the conditions attached to it restricted the number. Ironically, no Pakistani prisoner got the remission though it was announced on the occasion of the Independence Day of their own country. The reason appeared to be the fact that most of the Pakistani women inmates have been convicted or are being tried under Hudood Ordinance and the remission does not apply on such cases.

According to sources the remission does not apply to where charges have been framed under the Foreigners’ Act 1946 and on the cases processed by the NAB.

The government directive states that a 90-day special remission will be given to the prisoners awarded life term, except those convicted of murder, espionage, anti-state activities, sectarian violence, zina and under Section 377 PPC, robbery, dacoity, kidnapping/abduction and terrorist acts.

Similarly, a 45-day special remission has been granted to all convicts except those sentenced for murder, espionage, subversion, anti-state activities, terrorist acts, zina, kidnapping, abduction, robbery, dacoity and violation of Foreigners Act.

The special remission is admissible only if a convict has completed two-third of their substantive term.