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Islamabad Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Monday halted a release of prisoners, ignoring fears that overcrowded jail might become a new breeding ground for the spread of coronavirus.
A five-judge bench in the capital, Islamabad, ruled that a plan of mass release must not be implemented out of fears, Attorney General Khalid Jawed said, as nationwide COVID-19 infections surged beyond 1,600.
Several lower courts last week ordered regional governments to release prisoners in trial proceedings and those convicted on minor charges to ease the congestion in jails.
More than 77,000 inmates are languishing in Pakistani jails. Those have a capacity of around 55,000, according to official statics. About 60 per cent have seen their trials drag on for years due to a weak prosecution system and overburdened judiciary, according to the government figures. (DPA)
A five-judge bench in the capital, Islamabad, ruled that a plan of mass release must not be implemented out of fears, Attorney General Khalid Jawed said, as nationwide COVID-19 infections surged beyond 1,600.
Several lower courts last week ordered regional governments to release prisoners in trial proceedings and those convicted on minor charges to ease the congestion in jails.
More than 77,000 inmates are languishing in Pakistani jails. Those have a capacity of around 55,000, according to official statics. About 60 per cent have seen their trials drag on for years due to a weak prosecution system and overburdened judiciary, according to the government figures. (DPA)
