President Dr Arif Alvi has directed all governors of the provinces to set up a fund for payment of less than Rs 100,000 fine of those prisoners who have served their sentences but are still languishing in jails due to non-payment of fines.
He directed the governors to collect necessary data of such prisoners in order to initiate and complete the process effectively. The President gave these directions while presiding over the Governors' Conference here on Tuesday. The governors of all the four provinces and Gilgit-Baltistan were present on the occasion.
Dr Alvi also directed the governors to take the onus of providing clean drinking water in all prisons. He asked the governors to establish laboratories for testing hepatitis in prisons for prisoners as well as policemen. He further underscored the need for establishing citizens' police liaison committees in all the provinces on the pattern of Sindh.
He urged the governors to take leadership role in their respective provinces to resolve issues related to water, population, health and primary, secondary and higher education. He said that the governors must take up the Clean and Green Pakistan mission in their provinces in coordination with the relevant departments.
The President also asked the governors to keep in close contact with the chief justices of their respective high courts in order to help judiciary in provision of expeditious justice to the needy. He further urged the governors to identify at least one university in their province for affiliation with Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology.