Islamabad: In a significant development aimed at addressing the plight of incarcerated individuals unable to pay compensation amounts, the Administrative Committee for the Diyat, Arsh, and Daman Fund has approved relief for eligible cases. The meeting, chaired by Federal Minister for Human Rights, Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar, took place at the Ministry of Human Rights, with Federal Secretary for Human Rights, Abdul Khalique Sheikh, also in attendance.

According to Press Information Department, the committee reviewed cases submitted by Provincial Sub-Committees regarding prisoners who remain incarcerated due to non-payment of Diyat, Arsh, and Daman amounts. Recommendations were made in line with the Diyat, Arsh and Daman Fund Rules, 2007, and relief was sanctioned for cases deemed eligible after thorough scrutiny.

The fund was instituted by the Federal Government under Section 338G(2) of the Pakistan Penal Code to assist convicts who are unable to pay compensation to the legal heirs of victims. It particularly targets prisoners enduring physical or mental illness, women with children, orphans, juveniles, and those over forty who have completed a significant portion of their sentence but remain detained due to non-compensation payment.

The meeting included representatives from various governmental departments who examined provincial cases and deliberated on the fund’s effective management, transparency, and disbursement. Federal Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar directed provincial authorities to facilitate deserving prisoners whose continued imprisonment is due solely to compensation non-payment, urging expedited case processing and transparent fund implementation.