Balochistan govt commutes sentences of prisoners involved in minor crimes
March 29, 2020 08:22 PM
The Balochistan government on Sunday announced commuting sentences of prisoners involved in misdemeanours by four months.
The decision has been taken in the wake of coronavirus outbreak in the country. According to details, those jailed for terrorism and other heinous crimes would not benefit from the order.
Earlier, Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Athar Minallah had issued a nine-page judgement, ordering release of prisoners involved in minor crimes.
In the order, the IHC chief justice had barred the police from making unnecessary arrests and ordered release of those prisoners who did not pose a threat to the society. This directive was applicable only to prisoners whose cases fall within purview of the Islamabad High Court (IHC).
As the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Pakistan has risen to 1559, Balochistan has 138 confirmed infections as of March 29.