PESHAWAR, May 25: The Peshawar Bar Association has asked the government to formulate suitable legislation for punishing people who involve children in different crimes, specially drug trafficking.

The president of the association, Sher Afgan Khattak, has appreciated the delegation of powers to juvenile courts on the district and sessions judges across the province by the chief justice of the Peshawar High Court, Justice Mian Shakirullah Jan.

In a press release issued here on Saturday, the president said that the association has termed it a step in the right direction and expected that it would help provide justice to a large number of juvenile offenders rotting in different prisons.

He informed that soon after the delegation of powers to the sessions judges under the Juvenile Justice System Ordinance, 2000, the district and sessions judge, Peshawar, had released a 13-year-old boy on probation, which was a commendable act.

Khattak regretted that innocent children were being involved in various offences by criminals who should be awarded exemplary punishment. He hoped the government would also take steps to keep juvenile offenders separate from other prisoners, and also make arrangements for their education inside the prison.

The district and sessions judge, Peshawar, Ziauddin Khattak, maintains a separate register for juvenile offenders, and has resolved to decide such cases at the earliest.