A murder convict imprisoned in Karachi’s Central Jail for the past 11 years has won a scholarship worth Rs1 million to undertake a degree in chartered accountancy for his outstanding academic performance.
Shah has been serving a 25-year sentence at the Karachi jail after he was convicted of murder in 2011. He made headlines when he completed his preliminary education behind bars and last month passed intermediate exams with distinction, having scored 954 marks out of 1,100.
The achievement was followed by recognition from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP), which offered him a Rs1 million rupee scholarship to complete his accounting studies.
“When I came here at the jail, I was just a middle-level student. I got myself enrolled after witnessing better education facilities here under the rehabilitation programme for inmates. The completion of the programme gave me the confidence to continue my matriculation studies,” Shah told M.M News.
“That was the happiest moment of my life, during my 11 years inside the jail,” the 32-year-old said, adding, “I could not sleep all night.”
Naeem Shah also urged the provincial government and other high officials to abolish his jail sentence on the basis of compassion so that he could be free and lead a better life.
Apart from passing the Intermediate exams, the prisoner has completed computer, Urdu, Arabic courses in the jail. In 2019, he also completed a training course of the Committee for the Welfare of Prisoners and later taught law to new prisoners.
