Ayaz Soomro, announced that there will be no execution of death penalties in the province’s prisons. PHOTO: APP/FILE
The minister made this categorical statement on Wednesday at a press conference in the DIG Prisons office.
A de facto moratorium on capital punishment has been in place since
2008 when the PPP assumed power. However, Soomro’s statement came as a
reassurance for the concerns voiced during a recent European Union (EU)
delegation visit which expected legal cover against the death penalty.
Pakistan has been struggling to win the Generalised System of
Preferences Plus status, known as GSP Plus, from the EU which allows
developing countries to export duty-free goods to members of the EU from
2014.
Jean Lambert, during his visit to Islamabad last week with the EU
delegation, made it clear that the GSP Plus was also a human rights
instrument in addition to trade.
Soomro said that President Asif Ali Zardari had sought
recommendations from all the departments of law on the issue of death
penalty. “We [Sindh province] suggested that the death penalty should be
converted into life imprisonment.”
According to him, hundreds of death row inmates await appeals against
their conviction which have been pending hearing in the higher courts.
In his oblique criticism of the judiciary, Soomro advised the judges to
not only take up the high-profile political cases but also pay attention
to those cases which deal with prisoners who have been languishing in
jail without conviction.
Central Jail riots
The minister condemned the July 13 violence, during which an
under-trial prisoner was killed and dozens were injured. But he stuck to
the version of the jail police who hold the inmates responsible. “I
endorse the assertion of DIG Jails [Gulzar Channa] that the prisoners
had attempted a jailbreak otherwise why would they try to break the
walls with hammers, shovels and other tools.”
Nevertheless, as a tacit acknowledgement of the wardens’ role in
triggering the riots, Soomro said that an inquiry of the head constables
and Chakkar Amaldar was being carried out. “They will face disciplinary
action if they are found guilty.”
The truth behind the violent incident remains elusive as both the
sides, prisoners and police, blame each other. Rumours surfaced that a
fight broke out when a contractor refused to pay wage to a prisoner who
was doing construction work.
There were also accusations that the situation boiled up when the prisoner Sajid Khaskheli was killed.
A judicial inquiry into the jail incident, ordered by the Sindh High
Court, was concluded but findings have not been made public so far.
Local Government
According to Soomro, the coalition partners have agreed on a system
under which metropolitan corporations, headed by the mayors and deputy
mayors, will function in Sindh.
They will be based in the four divisions – Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur
and Larkana. “We [PPP] are still hearing out the Muttahida Qaumi
Movement’s point of view and they are listening to ours.” He reiterated
his criticism over the 2001 LG system, attributing it to a “military
dictator who spent billions of rupees to invent failed system of
governance”.
Nessun commento:
Posta un commento