Famous Pakistani actor-singer Ali Zafar has vowed to provide legal aid to poor and innocent women who have been languishing in jail for long.

The actor, who had a pretty successful run in Bollywood, took to Twitter on the occasion of International Women’s Day on March 8 to share how he plans to help those who have been wrongfully convicted and are behind bars.

The actor shared a clip of his interview with a local TV channel, in which he has promised to extend this help. 

He also tweeted: “There are countless innocent & poor women in jail for years due to lack of legal representation. Today, on #WomensDay I vouch to do my best, in my humble capacity, to get them the aid needed to fight for their freedom & justice but together we can do more. Join us

@AliZFoundation.”

In the interview, the actor urged others who have resources to also extend a helping hand to those women who are behind bars for no fault of their own and living without hope of ever seeing their children and families.

“The best would have been that our justice system was able to provide them justice. But if it is not available, then we all should join hands and use our resources to help them out. I personally plan to help these innocent women who have been in jails. I will use my own resources and even appeal to people to help them. If there is a need, I will hire a legal representative for them," he said in the interview.

“Freedom is a very important thing and we take it for granted. Think about those who don’t have it. We must do as much as we can for these women,” he added.

According to Pakistan’s Human Rights Ministry report, ‘Plight of Women in Pakistan’s Prisons,’ which was submitted to Prime Minister Imran Khan on August 26, 2020, of the 1,121 women in prison as of mid-2020, 66 percent had not been convicted of any offense and were detained while awaiting the conclusion of their trial. The report also said that more than 300 women were detained in facilities outside the districts where they lived, making family visits nearly impossible.