Karachi : The Committee for the Welfare of Prisoners (CWP) presented its achievements to the Home Secretary Sindh Aijaz Ali Shah on Wednesday.
The CWP was notified by the government of Sindh in 2004 under the Chairpersonship of Justice (R) Nasir Aslam Zahid, and has been provided statutory footing under section 55 of the Sindh Prisons and Corrections Services Act 2019.
The committee has been working for last 20 years in the field of legal aid, legal empowerment, welfare, rehabilitation as well as research and policy work. It provides legal representation to first-time under-trial prisoners, who are poor and needy and are implicated in petty offenses in 20 prisons of Sindh.
CWP team pursued its mandate with full safeguards and diligence and adapted to the challenges to remain operational. The progress of the last two years reveals that 8,051 prisoners were Interviewed & provided with ‘legal advice’ by qualified lawyers. 6,101 male, female, and juvenile prisoners were provided with legal representation in courts. 4,849 cases were disposed of with certified judicial orders. 2,772 bail applications were filed and granted for male, and female adult prisoners, and juvenile prisoners.
The meeting was attended by DIG Sindh Syed Munawwar Ali Shah, Special Secretary Prisons Nasir Abbas Soomro, Additional Secretary Prisons Tariq Qureshi, Deputy Secretary Women’s Development Department Hafeez Ur Rehman, and Secretary CWP Barrister Haya Emaan Zahid.
