Thiruvananthapuram: In a goodwill gesture, Sharjah ruler Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi on Tuesday ordered the release of 149 Indian prisoners who are currently lodged in jails in Sharjah. The announcement was made by Mr Al-Qasami during his speech at Raj Bhavan after accepting the D.Litt conferred on him by the Calicut University. Earlier, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan had requested the Sultan to release prisoners who are not facing grave criminal charges.
The chief minister made the request to release those who had served three years sentence and jailed in connection with cheque cases and other civil cases.
The Sultan said not just Indians but people from all countries who are not facing major criminal charges, would be released from jails. Those who receive amnesty need not leave Sharjah as arrangements would be made to provide better jobs to them. The Sultan's announcement was received with huge applause from the audience.
Later in a Facebook post, the chief minister said Sultan’s announcement would be applicable to all Malayalees who are currently lodged in Sharjah jails in connection with business related and other petty cases. The decision would give a ray of hope to Malayalees who are in jails in the other emirates of the UAE and other Gulf countries.
