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One person died, and four others finished their jail time before their case was even heard in court.
BY Mahnoor | 25-05-2026
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court is now hearing criminal appeals of convicts who have finished their sentences or died while the case was ongoing. This is the first time in almost six years.
The Express Tribune reports that at least five cases have emerged from three Punjab prisons (Lahore, Multan, and Sahiwal). In these cases, the prisoners either finished their sentences and were released, or have died.
In this case, four prisoners finished their sentences and were released, but one has died.
This Monday, a panel of two judges, Chief Justice Yahya Afridi and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, will hear 25 cases in Pakistan’s top court.
One example is criminal appeal number 18, called Abdul Hakeem Shahid against The State.
The head of Sahiwal Jail told the Supreme Court that Abdul Hakeem Shahid was moved from Lahore Jail to Sahiwal Jail on August 28, 2025, because the prison boss ordered it for administrative reasons.
The report also says that on June 15, 2016, the trial court gave him the death penalty and fined him Rs500,000 for murder. But on February 3, 2019, the Lahore High Court changed the death penalty to life in prison, giving him the benefit of the doubt.
The prisoner finished his sentence and was released on December 19, 2025. He got out early because he had 13 years, 3 months, and 13 days taken off his time.
The Supreme Court’s website shows the appeal was filed a long time ago, on February 25, 2020. It’s only now being scheduled for its first hearing.
The second case, number 20, is Mohsin Ali against The State, filed on March 20, 2021. Its first hearing is also today.
According to a report from the acting Superintendent of Sahiwal Central Jail, Mohsin Ali, son of Kamir, from Okara and of the Kharal caste, was jailed on May 25, 2006.
He got a 25-year prison sentence and a Rs50,000 fine for murder. He was freed on August 29, 2022, after having 8 years, 9 months, and 11 days taken off his sentence.
The third case, Shakeel Ahmed versus The State, listed as number 21, was filed on May 11, 2022, and this is also its first time being heard.
The head of Multan Central Jail says that the prisoner was charged with murder in Multan on November 7, 2012. He received a 25-year prison sentence and a fine of Rs200,000, but he got his sentence reduced by 11 years, 7 months, and 26 days.
He was arrested on November 16, 2012, and released on March 20, 2026, after serving 13 years and 4 months.
The fourth case is Allah Ditta versus The State. The appeal was filed on June 18, 2022, and this is its first hearing.
