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"Let there arise out of you a band of people inviting to all that is good enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong; they are the ones to attain felicity".
(surah Al-Imran,ayat-104)
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User Name: Ink_Drops
Full Name: Syed M. Aslam
User since: 17/Jul/2009
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Already the 12th top jailer

(Published 16.7.2009)

http://www.dailynationalcourier.com/national_courier/jul2009_daily/16-07-09/artical/artical1.htm

  Do our policy makers intend to improve our ignominious ranking of having the world's 12th top prison population by awarding up to 14-year jail sentence to those convicted of sending of 'indecent, provocative and ill-motivated stories and text messages' via email and cellphone'? As is we are world's 12th top 'jailer' with 87,000 people incarcerated in our prisons, including 1.7 per cent women prisoners, that are over-filled with 222.5 per cent of prison capacity.
Though India ranks 4th in absolute number of over 313,000 prisoners it fares much better in term of 'prisoners per capita' with 29 prisoners per 100,000 persons at 152nd place compared to 121st rank that we hold with 59 prisoners per 100,000 persons. India does better ranking 44th in term of 'share of prison capacity filled' of 136.5 per cent compared to 11th position that we hold with 222.5 per cent of the same. We incarcerate smaller percentage of under-trial prisoners than Indiaâ€" 66.1 per cent compared to 70.4 in India, if that could please you.
As in most things US houses the largest prison population in the world- both in term of numbers and “per capita prisoners- over 2 million incarcerated in jails and another five million in jail system including parole & bail and the top 715 prisoners per 100,000 persons. In fact US makes up around 5 per cent of world's population but shares 25 per cent of total global prison population estimated at over 8.57 million.
Critics say that a large number of prison population; both in terms of number and 'prisoners per capita' is a sign of failure of the relevant organs of the state to successfully address socio-economic issues that let the judicial system suck up the people many of whom end up in prisons.
The latest announcement by the government to make sending “indecent, provocative and ill-motivated stories and text messages via email and SMS punishable by up to 14-year imprisonment under the Cyber Crime Act is a classic example of going overboard. Decisions like this were made in the past, has happened now and nobody could claim would not happen in near or far future. However, one thing is certain: The decision would have no sympathizer among politicians minus leaders of ruling PPP and their stalwarts and would certainly would not enjoy the support of the ordinary people against whom it is aimed at.
The loosely worded 'law' fails to define “indecent, provocative and ill-motivated- words that are its very raison-d-etre. Under such a situation it would hard for even the least moderately educated person to convince that the 'law' was necessitated to curb the ill-motivated and concocted stories against the civilian leadership and the security forces.
In fact, people views the latest 'law' a violation of freedom of speech and thought and expression as guaranteed to them in the Constitution. They see it as taking away some of the most fundamental of their rights enshrined in the Constitution. They see it as a pretext to take away the freedom to debate and comment by gagging their right to speak and legitimate discourse. In short they feel that laws such as these do not serve rulers, any rulers and any government, any good and in fact helps it loose public support real fast.
Clean comments and interaction between people; be it in person or via phone, email or SMS, is the right of the people who should not be scared away to forfeit their right with prison sentence of up to 14 year by becoming deaf and dumb altogether. It may be remembered that rulers of today may have to sit in opposition tomorrow simply because that's the very essence of democracy- a word that is given the top lip service but hardly ever practiced by the successive governments for as long as I remember.

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