GUJRANWALA, April 6: As many as 103 juvenile prisoners of the district jail will be provided legal aid for their release through courts following expeditious trial, besides elimination of child begging.

This was stated by Child Protection and Welfare Bureau (CPWB) head Rao Khalil Ahmad at a briefing here on Thursday.

He said 103 underage boys were detained in various barracks. Of them, 35 were involved in minor cases, 23 in murder and 26 in dacoity and robbery cases and interestingly a child was accused of issuing fake cheques, he said.

Rao Khalil said advocate Irfan Gujjar had offered his services for providing legal aid to these boys for their release through speedy trials. The bureau head said his staff had caught as many as 13 children from various parts of the city for begging a few days ago. Most of them had been handed over to their parents through courts and three children were sent to Lahore care centre, he said.

He urged the city district government and the DPO to provide a police squad to the bureau for security purpose. He expressed the hope that helpline 1122 would start functioning shortly in the city.

DEATH WARRANTS: The anti-terrorism court No 2 on Thursday issued death warrants for three condemned prisoners, including two brothers, who were involved in the killing of five people.

They will be executed in jail on April 18.

Reports said Muhammad Asif, M Ilyas and Ghulam Abbas had shot dead five men — Akram, Abid Husain, Liaquat Ali, Muhammad Inayat and driver Zahid over a murder enmity on GT Road when they were on their way by a car after appearing in a sessions court on June 4, 1997.

Their appeals had been rejected by the Lahore High Court and the Supreme Court. The president had also rejected their mercy appeals on March 28 this year.

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