The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has mandated the transfer of a prisoner who has been detained in a Karachi jail for over 12 years despite having completed his sentence in a narcotics case. The court issued this ruling on Saturday, emphasizing the need to relocate the inmate to Peshawar.
Chief Justice SM Attique Shah instructed the relevant authorities to arrange the prisoner’s transfer to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa within seven days via air travel. This directive followed a hearing that revealed the prisoner had finished his narcotics sentence back in 2014 but remained incarcerated in Karachi since then.
The court also ordered the provincial home secretary to take immediate action to facilitate this transfer. During the proceedings, officials including the provincial home secretary, the deputy commissioner of Kurram district, and the district police officer appeared before the bench.
Furthermore, the deputy commissioner and district police officer were directed to submit comprehensive reports within two weeks. Additional Advocate General Naumanul Haq Kakakhel was appointed as the focal person responsible for overseeing the execution of the court’s orders and providing updates on the progress.
The hearing was adjourned until May 11 to allow time for compliance and reporting.
In a significant development, Kakakhel explained that the prisoner was initially arrested in Karachi in 2012 on narcotics charges and remained under trial for two years before receiving a one-year prison sentence in 2014. However, that same year, a letter from the Kurram home department instructed Karachi jail officials not to release him upon completion of his sentence due to his involvement in a murder case under Section 302.
As a consequence of this directive, the prisoner has been held in Karachi for the past 12 years. The prisoner himself wrote directly to the PHC chief justice from jail, which prompted the court to intervene and order his transfer.
Once returned to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the provincial government will provide the prisoner with a state-appointed lawyer to assist in pursuing the murder case. This step aims to ensure his legal rights are protected moving forward.
