There is finally a sign of some relief for the miserable prisoners as the Federal Shariat Court (FSC) has issued orders for allowing conjugal rights to prisoners. It is being hailed as a landmark decision of the FSC, announced on Friday (August 28, 2009), which will let prisoners spend some time with their spouses.

Referring to hundreds of Quranic verses and dozens of past high court judgments, Justice S.A. Haider of the FSC announced the court’s verdict in favor of the prisoner’s conjugal rights. The decision also grants prisoners the right to meet their kin in a separate place near the premises of the respective jail. In addition, the verdict reminded that it was Unislamic to monitor or check prisoners constantly.

The decision of the FSC is hopefully a turning point in the miserable lives of thousands of prisoners who fail to improve because of being denied basic human rights, including social life and familial support. At the same time, it opens a case for more prison reforms in the light of Islamic jurisprudence.