KARACHI: Sindh home department on Saturday ordered release of eight terminally ill prisoners from various jails of the province.

The development was made under an order of the Supreme Court in light of a provincial cabinet decision made in a session late last year.

As many as eight convicts were being released early from the prisons on account of being terminally ill or suffering from incurable diseases under the Sindh Prisons and Corrections Services Act 2019.

They will be released from jails in Karachi, Hyderabad and Shukkur for a duration of four months and were subject to meeting all formalities and conditions as laid down in the order.

As per the order, the families were required to submit a bond of Rs200,000 with concerned provincial authority prior to the release of the convict.

The prison authorities, will hand over the physical custody of the prisoners to their families who have submitted the surety bond.

Moreover, the release of prisoners will be purely on medical ground and the release period could further be extended by the competent authority.

Sindh is the only province in the country where the 125-year-old jail law has been amended.