HC orders release of Pak prisoners who have completed sentence

Chandigarh Apr 26 (UNI) Punjab and Haryana High Court division bench of acting chief Justice Harjit Singh Bedi and Justice Ranjit Singh today ordered the release of all those Pakistani prisoners from Punjab jails who had completed their sentence.

The order came during the resumed hearing on the PIL petition of World Human Rights Protection Council filed by its chairman advocate Ranjan Lakhanpal praying for directions for the release of Indian prisoners languishing in Pakistani jails and Pakistani prisoners now lodged in Punjab jails.

The bench also ordered a compensation of Rs 10,000 per year for all those Pakistani prisoners who continued to be in jails beyond the sentence period. They are to be paid Rs 100 per day from today till the time of their actual release.

It had been submitted by the Punjab government at the time of previous hearing that there are in all 89 Pakistani prisoners in Punjab jails out of which 42 had completed their sentences and waiting to be repatriated to their country but in the absence of travel documents this had not become possible so far.

UNI XC VKJ RP PC1746