Punjab Home Department paroled 750 convicts in nine years

LAHORE: The Punjab Home Department released only 750 convicted prisoners on parole across Punjab during the last nine years, The News has learnt.

According to sources in the home department, 750 convicted murderers, who had completed their 1/3rd convictions, had been released on parole from 2009 to up till now. They were released after observing their good conduct in prisons of Punjab.

Munawar Hussain, Director Parole, Directorate of Reclamation and Parole Punjab, said parole was actually a release of a person confined in jail. According to him, the release was conditional and always supervised by a parole officer.

He said parole is given on good conduct of a prisoner to give him a chance to prove himself a changed person. He rejected the allegation that only influential prisoners are released on parole and said every citizen is equal before law.

Parole is given on the wish of the prisoners. It is given only to those who applied for parole. After completion of legal documentation and observing good conduct of the prisoners, they are released on parole, the director said. The parolee is sent back to jail if parole officer finds his conduct bad or parolee violates the condition of parole, he added. He said parole could not be given in the cases of terrorism, narcotics and robbery.  “Those involved in anti-state activities could not be given parole. Moreover, government encourages release on parole. Parole is given on murder cases and petty disputes,” he said while talking to The News. It is pertinent to mention here that parolees are not sent back to their home rather they are sent on employment after getting parole.

They cannot visit their homes until rest of conviction is completed. They are confined in specific place. The parolees do work on lands of landlord or factories. He confirmed that the parolees are sent outside the jails on parole and they usually work on the lands of landlords. Families of the parolees could visit them, he concluded.