KARACHI, Aug 7: Eight women and 21 children languishing in jails after committing an offence for the first time will be released from different jails in Sindh on surety to be furnished by the Women and Juvenile Prisoners Committee.

The decision was taken on Thursday at a meeting of the committee chaired by Sindh Women Development Minister Tauqir Fatima Bhutto.

The minister observed that it was unfortunate that the prisoners were languishing in jails for being unable to arrange the amount of surety or fine. She called for providing relief to such prisoners.

Ms Bhutto said the committee had come forward to furnish the surety amounts so that the deserving prisoners who had committed a crime for the first time in their life could be given a chance to become law-abiding citizens. This would also help prevent them become habitual criminals.

The minister said efforts would be made to get these prisoners released by Aug 14 to enable them to join Independence Day celebrations.

She directed the Inspector-General of Prisons, Yamin Khan, to submit details of the prisoners’ cases with the committee after verification. She also asked the Women Centre Karachi to provide due facilities to the women prisoners.

Secretary of the women development department Gul Mohammad Umrani informed the committee that as per its recommendation, the fine money supposed to be paid by 35 women and one juvenile prisoners; travel expenses of nine women prisoners released from jails; and the surety money supposed to be furnished by 15 women and 71 juvenile prisoners had already been paid.

The secretary, after approval of payment of the surety amount for eight more women and 21 juvenile prisoners, asked the IG prisons to also submit details of their cases with the committee after verification.

Adviser to the Chief Minster on Jails Gul Mohammad Jakhrani told the minister that all possible facilities would be extended to the prisoners.

Additional Sindh AG Sajid Ali Khan, Director Women Development Ashfaq Qadri, Deputy Home Secretary Abdur Rauf Siddiqui, ADM Law Abdul Kabeer Leghari, representative of the Committee for the Welfare of Women Prisoner Kashif Hanif and representative of the Pakistan Women Lawyers Association Najmun Nisa were present at the meeting.—PPI