KARACHI:Sindh High Court (SHC) Friday ordered the federal government to pay the blood money outstanding against prisoners who cannot afford to pay.
A two-member bench heard the petition regarding the release of 37 prisoners who had not paid the blood money. However, the department of prisons told the bench that blood money of 32 prisoners had been deposited, out of which 28 prisoners had been released while the case of remaining five accused was under process.
It will pay their blood money after their verdict is announced.
Advocate Shuhab Usto told the bench that a prisoner, Muhammad Hanif, had turned 61 years, so it was the responsibility of the federal government to pay blood money imposed on him. ‘’As per the federal law, those prisoners who cross the age of 60 years, their imposed blood money would be paid by the government,’’ he told the bench.
The counsel said that four out of 37 prisoners had filed petition in SHC challenging the trial court’s decision and they had already completed awarded sentence.