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FAISALABAD, Oct 01 (APP):Parliamentary Secretary for Human Rights Saba Sadiq has said that the government is committed to ensure provision of justice to deserving citizens at their doorsteps and release of a disabled death row prisoner from Central Jail Faisalabad stands as a shining example of justice and protection of human rights in Pakistan.
Speaking at the ceremony marking prisoner’s release, she said that protection of human rights and delivering justice are top priorities of the government.
She said that Ministry of Human Rights, National Commission on Human Rights, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar and other institutions collectively played an effective role in securing the release for disabled death row prisoner.
She added that President of Pakistan set a strong precedent by approving the mercy petition on humanitarian grounds which showed the state’s commitment to treat its citizens with compassion.
She said that prisoner’s health had severely deteriorated inside jail, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down and reliant on a wheelchair.
Because of his condition, the courts were repeatedly approached to delay the execution of his death sentence, she said, adding that once the matter was taken up by the Ministry of Human Rights and associated NGOs, they fought his legal battle despite multiple petitions were rejected earlier by the superior courts and the Presidency.
However, through constant efforts, the mercy petition was approved, leading to release of the disabled prisoner, she added.
The Parliamentary Secretary further said that the government is not only working to improve the judicial system on humanitarian grounds but also striving to introduce extensive reforms in jails for ensuring opportunities for rehabilitation alongside punishment.
She revealed that a separate prison for women inmates is being constructed in Punjab along with a rehabilitation center to help female prisoners reintegrate into society after their release.
Senior Superintendent Central Jail Sajid Baig briefed the parliamentary secretary and said that prisoner Abdul Basit was sentenced to death in 2008 for a murder case and later he developed a severe spinal cord ailment in jail which left him paralyzed.
He said that in 2015, the execution date had even been fixed, but it was repeatedly deferred on medical grounds until the President finally accepted his mercy appeal.
The released prisoner Abdul Basit while addressing the gathering said that the murder was not intentional but a result of an accident.
He remarked that man’s greatest enemy is his anger and his long imprisonment had taught him that patience and tolerance are true path to redemption.