Sindh cabinet discards punitive prison law, approves reformatory act

KARACHI: The Sindh cabinet on Monday discarded over 100 year old punitive Prison Act of 1894 and approved the Sindh Prison and Correction Act-2019 as well as gave approval to the establishment of the Sindh Evacuee Trust Property Board for management and disposal of the properties evacuated by the Hindu and the Sikh migrants.

The meeting was held under the chairmanship of Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah at the New Sindh Secretariat and was attended by all provincial ministers, advisors, special assistants, chief secretary and other relevant secretaries. Speaking on the new prisons' legislation, the chief minister said, prisons contribute to the maintenance and protection of a just peaceful and safe society by enforcing sentences given by the courts while ensuring their fundamental rights and reintegration into the society through reformation programmes. “Therefore, we have to make our Act and rules accordingly,” he said.

Briefing the cabinet about the issues in the previous Prisons Acts of 1894, the Secretary Home Kazi Kabir said it was primarily punitive in nature and it lacked reformation and management besides lacking focus on development of the prison human resources. The cabinet discussed and approved the draft and also formed a committee under the Minister Prison Syed Nasir Shah, Minister Energy Imtiaz Shaikh and Advisor Law to review it and send it to the assembly within seven days.

The Minister for Minorities Affairs Hari Ram Kishori told the cabinet that the Evacuee Trust Property thus became a provincial subject after the concurrent legislative list was omitted by the 18th Amend. A draft law Sindh Evacuee Trust Property Board and Enactment of Sindh Evacuee Trust Properties (Management & Disposal) Act was introduced to manage the Evacuee Trust Properties by the provincial government. The cabinet approved the draft law and formed a committee to review the draft law and refer to the assembly.

The cabinet also approved the amendment in Section-26 of the Sindh Local Government Act-2013 regarding resignation of the office bearers to the Administrative Department instead of the council which was largely found reluctant to process the resignations. Now the office bearers and the members would send their resignation to the Administrative Department of the local government instead of the council.

The chief minister directed the secretary University and board to resolve the registration issue of the Khairpur Medical College with the PMDC within the next 15 days and report to him. He also directed the secretary to put him up a summary for the resolution of other issues of the college as well. The chief minister directed the chief secretary to ensure framing of rules of all the draft acts approved by the cabinet within the next 15 days.