LAHORE: Ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr, Pakistan’s new Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced a two-month reprieve for terrorist offenders, including the Mumbai terror attack mastermind, and outlawed Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed.
The remission was announced by Prime Minister Shehbaz on Sunday during a visit to the high-security Kot Lakhpat Jail. The two-month reprieve will not apply to detainees convicted in terrorism cases; senior advocate Waheed Shahzad told PTI on Monday.
An anti-terrorism court in this city sentenced JuD head Saeed to 32 years in prison on April 8 in two more cases of terror financing. The 71-year-old radical cleric had previously served 36 years in prison after being convicted of five terror funding crimes.
The sentence will be served concurrently for a total of 68 years in prison. However, a lawyer informed PTI that because Saeed’s sentence will run concurrently, he may not have to serve as many years in prison as previously thought. Saeed is being held at Kot Lakhpat right now.
The Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) was responsible for the 2008 Mumbai attack, in which 166 people were killed, including six Americans. The LeT is led by Saeed’s JuD. The Treasury Department of the United States has designated Saeed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist.
Shehbaz also paid a visit to the Lot Lakhpat barracks, where he had been detained for eight months on allegations of money laundering and holding assets in excess of his means.
The 70-year-old premier stated that jails lack essential services for convicts, such as washrooms, laundry, and medical treatment, based on his own jail experience.
The prime minister also ordered the creation of a commission chaired by interior minister Rana Sanaullah to devise a comprehensive strategy for providing basic facilities to detainees, as well as modifications to the country’s whole jail system.
“Skill development resources should be used in such a way that offenders may spend their time in jail constructively and contribute to society after their sentences are completed,” Shehbaz said.
Shehbaz Sharif’s older brother, former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, served time in the Kot Lakhpat Jail in 2019 before being released on November 20 to fly to the United Kingdom for medical treatment. He was sentenced to seven years in prison for the Al-Azizia Mills corruption case.
Edited By : Khushi Thakur
Published By : Shubham Ghulaxe
