Independence Day remission for 500 Pakistani prisoners

October 13th, 2009 JAMMU - Twenty-six Pakistani prisoners, including five militants, have been shifted from Jammu and Kashmir jails to Amritsar in Punjab to provide them access to the Pakistani consulate, an official said Tuesday. Pakistanis and residents of Pakistan occupied Kashmir, most of whom had inadvertently crossed the Line of Control (LoC) that divides Jammu and Kashmir between India and Pakistan, were shifted to Amritsar late Monday for consular access as a prelude to their release, the official said.

September 24th, 2009 BAGHDAD - Iraqi security sources said Thursday that 13 prisoners, convicted of terrorist offences, had escaped from a jail in the northern city of Tikrit. The prisoners escaped through a small window in the prison's bathroom Wednesday night, the source said, adding that four of the prisoners were linked to Al Qaeda and faced a death sentence.

September 5th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - The Indian government has allowed expelled Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Jaswant Singh to visit Pakistan Sep 26 to promote his book Jinnah: India, Partition and Independence, a media report said. He will arrive in Karachi Sep 26, before heading to the Pakistani capital Sep 27 to attend a launching ceremony of the book at the Islamabad Press Club.

September 1st, 2009 RAWALPINDI - Pakistan's Adiala Jail, where the trial of Mumbai terror suspects are going on, has acquired 87 acres of land to build family suites for married prisoners in compliance with a decision of Federal Shariat Court (FSC) that married prisoners can maintain contacts with their spouses. Jail Superintendent Saeedullah Gondal said acknowledgment of fundamental rights of prisoners would be beneficial to eliminate old jail culture.

August 29th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Prisoners in Pakistan would now be able to meet and mate with their spouses, as the Federal Shariat Court (FSC) has directed authorities to provide conjugal facilities to inmates. The FSC in its 'historic verdict' said the relaxation given under Section 382 (B) of the CrPC would be applicable to all the convicts alike while the sentence would include the period of the trial.

August 14th, 2009 ABU DHABI - United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan has greeted Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari on his country's Independence Day, WAM news agency reported. UAE Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan have also sent congratulatory messages to Zardari.

August 14th, 2009 WAGAH - Indian and Pakistani border guards stationed at the Wagah border checkpost exchanged sweets and congratulated each other on the occasion of the 62nd anniversary of Pakistan's Independence Day on Friday. Mohammad Yaqub, Director-General, Pakistan Rangers, and other officials came to the zero line and handed over sweets to Mohammad Akil, DIG BSF.

August 7th, 2009 LONDON - Terrorists claiming to represent Pakistani Balochis are planning to declare 'independence' on August 11 this year,according to BRASSTACKS. Though this will not change much on the ground, but these terrorists and their supporters in Kabul, New Delhi and within CIA will score a major point against Islamabad.

June 8th, 2009 MELBOURNE - The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) has allowed well-behaved prisoners to receive conjugal visits, becoming the second jurisdiction in the country to allow such visits from partners. The Alexander Maconochie Centre's conjugal visits policy, which includes same-sex couples, came into being on March 30 when the jail received its first prisoners.

April 18th, 2009 LAHORE - Most of the Pakistani terror suspects, who were held at the Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp, have been shifted back to Pakistan, the New York Times claims. Out of 71 Pakistanis imprisoned at the infamous detention camp, 63 have been shifted back to Pakistan, while eight are still languishing there.

March 20th, 2009 RANCHI - Four prisoners undergoing treatment at a hospital here escaped Friday by breaking the window panes of the room where they were kept, the police said. The four prisoners, two each from Ranchi and Simdega were admitted in the jail ward of Rajendra Institute of Medical Science (RIMS), Ranchi.

March 1st, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Delhi High Court has asked the central government what steps it was taking to secure the release of Indian prisoners who have been languishing in Pakistani jails for over 25 years. The court issued notice last week on the release of 13 such prisoners including that of Sarabjit Singh who is awaiting death sentence in a Pakistani jail for alleged involvement in the 1990 serial bomb blasts in Lahore and Multan.

February 26th, 2009 RANCHI - Prisons in Jharkhand will soon have video conferencing facilities to enable relatives of prisoners to talk to jail inmates from even remote areas. 'As per plan, the relatives of the prisoners would not need to travel from villages to jails to meet the prisoners.

February 7th, 2009 RANCHI - At least seven undertrial prisoners were injured in a clash between two criminal groups in Dhanbad jail Sunday, police said. Prisoners Sanjay Mahto and Diwakar Mahto, who were collecting weekly extortion of Rs.500 to Rs.1,000 from each prisoner, thrashed three other prisoners which led to the clash.

January 23rd, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Saturday welcomed the US administration's decision to close down the Guantanamo Bay detention centre. 'Pakistan is confident that the new US administration will develop a holistic strategy in successfully overcoming the complex challenges confronting the world today,' the Pakistani foreign office said in a statement.