ISLAMABAD: Prisoners serving jail terms across the country are set to get a 30-day remission in sentences on Eidul Fitr.

An official told Dawn that a summary to this effect had been moved by the interior ministry for the cabinet’s approval.

The Constitution empowers the president to grant pardon, reprieve and respite, and to remit, suspend or commute any sentence passed by any court, tribunal or other authority.

The president exercises this power under Article 45 in accordance with the advice tendered to him by the prime minister under Article 48(1), read with Schedule V-B of the Rules of Business, 1973.

President grants relief under Article 45 in accordance with the advice tendered to him by prime minister

Giving details of the remission to be given to convicts undergoing different terms of imprisonment, the official said that special remission of 30 days would be granted to the prisoners convicted of life imprisonment, except those convicted of murder, espionage, anti-state activities, sectarianism and Zina offences.

Special remission for 30 days will be granted to all other convicts, except for condemned prisoners and prisoners convicted of murder, espionage, subversion, anti-state activities, terrorist acts (as defined in the Anti-Terrorism (Second Amendment) Ordinance.

The remission for 30 days will be admissible provided that the convicts have undergone 2/3rd of their substantive sentence of imprisonment.

Special remission for 30 days will also be given to male prisoners who are 65 years of age or above and have undergone at least one-third of their substantive sentence of imprisonment, except for those involved in culpable homicide and those involved in terrorist acts, as defined in the Anti-Terrorism (Second Amendment) Ordinance, 1999 (No. XIII of 1999).

Special remission for 30 days will be granted to female prisoners who are 60 years of age or above and have undergone at least one-third of their sentence of imprisonment, except those involved in culpable homicide and those involved in terrorist acts.

Special remission for 30 days will also be granted to female prisoners who have been accompanied by child-ren and are serving sentence of imprisonment for crimes other than culpable homicide and terrorist acts, as defined in the Anti-Terrorism (Second Amendment) Ordinance, 1999 (No. XIII of 1999).

The prisoners convicted in cases of financial corruption and causing losses to the national exchequer will not be entitled to remission.

Published in Dawn, April 27th, 2021