By Dr. Emanuel Adil Ghouri
In 2023, the Punjab government issued a notification intended to build the character of prisoners serving sentences in jails across the province, help them become productive citizens, and encourage religious study. Under Rule 215 of the Punjab Prison Rules, prisoners can earn reductions in their sentences by completing courses in Quranic recitation, memorization, translation, and general education. Those who complete the courses receive reductions ranging from 15 to 180 days. According to official statistics, approximately 2,558 Muslim prisoners benefited from religious education courses between 2020 and 2025.
This is a commendable initiative, but prisoners of other faiths have not enjoyed the same benefit. Recognizing the inequity, the National Commission for Human Rights called on the Punjab government to extend the opportunity to them. Human rights organizations also filed writ petitions in the High Court challenging the denial of sentence reductions to minority prisoners and calling for equal rights under Articles 20, 25, and 36 of Pakistan’s Constitution.
On September 1, 2026, the Punjab Assembly unanimously passed a resolution introduced by government member Raheela Khadim Hussain. It called for religious books and teachers for minority prisoners and for the effective implementation of Rule 215 on their behalf. According to the resolution, Christian, Hindu, Sikh, and other minority prisoners should have equal opportunities to study their religious curricula, take examinations, and receive sentence remissions for successful performance in accordance with the law. Citing approximately 1,624 minority prisoners in Punjab’s jails, the assembly urged the provincial government to arrange religious education and examinations without discrimination and grant eligible prisoners the benefits provided by law.
The Punjab Government Home Department had already approved sentence reductions of 15 to 180 days for Hindu, Christian, and Sikh prisoners who completed courses on their respective faiths. Its notification, No. SO (MP) 11-5/2019 (P-IV), was dated January 20, 2023, and published in the Punjab Gazette on January 25, 2023 (pages 3648–3651). Yet I have seen no reports of a non-Muslim prisoner receiving this benefit.
If the minority members of the Punjab Assembly are serious about this issue, they should help provide religious materials and curricula for non-Muslim prisoners. Christians make up 95 percent of minority prisoners in Punjab’s jails, yet they lack even an adequate number of Bibles, let alone a Christian curriculum. During a recent visit to a district jail as a journalist, I found that nearly 200 Christian prisoners had only one Bible among them. With the help of several pastors, I have since provided them with Bibles and hundreds of other Christian books.
How can prisoners complete religious education courses without the materials they need? I urge religious leaders to approach the Home Department about providing an appropriate curriculum. I believe this initiative could both reduce prisoners’ sentences and help transform their lives. Jesus’ words draw our attention to their needs: “I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me” (Matt. 25:43).
Leave a Reply