After an exceptional academic performance in his Intermediate exams, a murderer who has been in the Central Jail Karachi for 11 years has been given a chartered accountancy scholarship of Rs1 million to pursue a degree in accountancy.
Naeem Shah was given the scholarship by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP) after he set an example of a hardworking student by passing his Intermediate examinations with flying colours while being imprisoned.
Shah has spent 11 years of his 25-year sentence after his conviction in a murder case, according to Senior Superintendent of Central Jail Muhammad Hassan Sehto.
“During his captivity, Shah continued his education,” Sehto stated. “After passing his matriculation exams, he went on to take the Intermediate exams and received an 86.73 percent grade, placing him among the top 20 students in the Intermediate studies.”
Shah has now been given a scholarship by the ICAP. In a video, he claims he was arrested and sent to the Central Jail on May 19, 2011, for committing a murder. He claims he later appealed the verdict to the High Court.
“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.”
The prisoner has finished computer, Urdu, and Arabic courses in the prison in addition to completing the Intermediate exams. In 2019, he also finished a training course offered by Nasir Aslam Zahid of the Committee for the Welfare of Prisoners, and afterwards taught law to other prisoners.
