Religious Minorities in Punjab Prisons
Denial of Remission Based on Religious Education
Abstract
Despite Islamic, constitutional, and statutory provisions, under-trial and convicts from religious minorities in Punjab prisons strive for the right to worship and earn remissions by acquiring religious education on parity with Muslim prisoners. Muslim prisoners are entitled to remission if they reach a certain level of the Qur’ānic and Islamic education. In contrast, prisoners hailing from religious monitories cannot earn remission for their religious courses according to Pakistan Prisons Rules, 1978. This article outlines the state of remission for prisoners from religious minorities. It discusses the tenets of Islamic theology on the issue of providing religious education to non-Muslims at the expense of the Islamic state. The article investigates the administrative impediments and attitudinal biases that entail religious discrimination and the challenges that religious minorities experience in acquiring religious education for remission. The article underlines the need to develop administrative infrastructure and capacity in Punjab prisons to deliver education to religious minorities.
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