ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani court on Friday directed the government to release prisoners involved in minor crimes to stem the spread of coronavirus as the country has recorded over 400 confirmed COVID-19 cases with three deaths.
In 113 operational jails of the country, more than 75,000 prisoners are kept against the capacity of around 60,000 inmates. The official data shows only 25,990 prisoners are convicted out of the total in different crimes while around 46,000 are still under trial.
“If a prisoner contracts coronavirus [in the jail], it will be difficult to control the situation,” Chief Justice Islamabad High Court Justice Athar Minallah remarked while hearing a petition regarding the release of 1,362 under trial prisoners.
The court has directed the Islamabad district administration to look into the matter and release all under trial prisoners on bail from Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.
Pakistani prisons are overcrowded and pose various health risks. Hundreds of inmates in different jails are said to be suffering from different diseases including HIV, hepatitis B and C, and tuberculosis. Under the circumstances, many fear that prisoners are also at risk of contracting and spreading the deadly coronavirus.
Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Hamza Shafqaat informed the court that no prisoner was infected with the virus so far, though he also added that the authorities would comply with the court order and release the inmates involved in petty crimes.
The district administration has constituted a two-member committee in the wake of the court order to release these criminals. The jurisdiction of the Islamabad High Court extends to the federal capital only, making it suggest to the provincial administrations to avoid “unnecessary arrests” and release petty criminals through executive order.
Currently, there are 5,001 prisoners in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail against the capacity of 2,174 inmates. Among them, trials of 1,362 detainees are pending before various courts in the federal capital.
Human rights activists and organizations working for the well-being of prisoners have applauded the verdict and urged the provincial governments to follow suit.
“It is a wonderful initiative by the high court to consider releasing under trial prisoners facing petty charges,” Ali Haider Habib, spokesperson for the Justice Project Pakistan, a non-profit organization based in Lahore that works for vulnerable prisoners, told Arab News.
He lauded the government and the judiciary for “safeguarding and protecting prisoners, prison staff and their families in this difficult time.”
Pakistani court asks government to release petty criminals to prevent COVID-19 spread
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Pakistani court asks government to release petty criminals to prevent COVID-19 spread
- More than 75,000 prisoners are jailed in 113 prisons against the capacity of 60,000 inmates in the country, says the official data
- Islamabad district administration to release 1,362 under trial detainees languishing in Adiala Jail
Pakistan says it is moving toward phased crypto regulation after Binance, HTX approvals
- The country is among the world’s largest crypto adoption markets, with nearly 40 million users
- Bilal bin Saqib says the government is not promoting crypto but moving to regulate the sector
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s top virtual asset regulatory official said on Sunday the country was laying the foundation for a phased and tightly supervised crypto framework after granting conditional approvals to two global exchanges, signaling a shift from years of regulatory ambiguity toward formal oversight of digital assets.
The Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA) said this week it had issued no objection certificates (NOCs) to global crypto exchanges Binance and Huobi (HTX). Pakistan has also signed a memorandum of understanding with them to explore what the finance ministry described as the “tokenization” of up to $2 billion in sovereign bonds, treasury bills and commodity reserves, an initiative aimed at boosting liquidity and attracting investors.
“The no objection certificate given to Binance and Huobi is the first practical step of this new thinking,” PVARA chief Bilal bin Saqib said at a briefing. “Let me make it clear that this NOC is not a shortcut. This is not a blanket approval.”
He said the approvals marked the start of a risk-mitigated, phased and supervised entry framework, adding that platforms would be subject to strict anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing requirements, ownership transparency checks and enforcement-linked licensing timelines.
“This is not a new experiment,” he said, pointing to phased regulatory approaches adopted in financial centers such as Dubai, the United Kingdom and Singapore, where firms are first brought under supervision before being allowed to expand operations.
Pakistan is among the world’s largest crypto adoption markets, with estimates putting the number of users between 30 and 40 million, despite the absence of a comprehensive regulatory framework. Saqib said ignoring the sector was no longer viable, warning that unregulated adoption posed greater risks to the economy and consumers.
“We don’t want to promote crypto,” he said. “We want to regulate crypto. Adoption is already there.”
He said the framework was designed to prepare Pakistan for longer-term developments in digital finance, including tokenized assets, compliance technology, blockchain analytics and digital payment infrastructure, while ensuring that local talent is channeled into regulated and productive use.
“For the international community, the message is clear,” Saqib said. “Pakistan is not running away from innovation. Pakistan is welcoming innovation. Pakistan is regulating innovation.”
