According to a news report by SAMAA, IGP said that the decision was made after consultation with Chief Minister Balochistan Jam Kamal, who decided to release the prisoners having two months or less time remaining in their sentences.
The decision to free 78 prisoners to prevent the coronavirus outbreak in the provincial prisons was made under the rule 216 of Pakistan Prisons Rule, 1978.
To date, 1193 confirmed coronavirus cases have emerged across the country, with the provincial governments of Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa confirming 421, 408, 131, and 123 cases respectively. Moreover, the government officials have confirmed nine coronavirus deaths in Pakistan.