PESHAWAR, July 24: The Aurat Foundation has filed 36 petitions in five courts of Peshawar and Nowshera for release of 36 imprisoned women under recently promulgated ordinance.

The organisation said in a press release issued here on Monday that the petitions had been filed because most of the women prisoners were facing problems in benefiting from the ordinance, which allowed release on bail of women not involved in heinous crimes.

Advocates Mohammad Jamal Afridi and Haseena Awan of the foundation’s legal aid wing filed the petitions on July 18 in five courts of Peshawar and Nowshera.

Mr Afridi said most of the women were finding it difficult to provide sureties for their release.

“We have filed the petitions but police have not presented the records of the cases despite directives from the courts,” Ms Awan said.

Mr Afridi said the Anti-Narcotics Task Force court was closed till July 28 and the power to decide the cases had not been delegated to any other court. He said cases of two women prisoners were to be decided by the court.

He said there was only one ANF judge who was overburdened as he had to decide the cases from Peshawar, Kohat and Dera Ismail Khan districts.

The lawyer said one woman had been booked under the Frontier Crimes Regulation and he would go to Landi Kotal to pursue her case.

Ms Awan said that two women in Peshawar Central Jail had refused to be freed despite being acquitted.

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