K-P Home and Tribal Affairs Department issues directives to beef up security at courts across the province. PHOTO: FILE
PESHAWAR:
The adviser to the chief minister on prisons has expressed dissatisfaction over delays in the construction of three new prisons as well as security enhancement at existing facilities across the province.
Malik Qasim Khan Khattak voiced his concerns over these directives during a meeting, officials told The Express Tribune. They added that the adviser also denounced officials for being absent during the meeting.
Special Secretary Home Alamgir Shah, superintendents of Haripur and Peshawar prisons, additional inspector general of prisons, and officials from the Construction and Work (C&W) department also attended the gathering.
Following the major security breach at Bannu prison on April 14, 2012, and DI Khan on July 29, 2013, the provincial government announced the construction of a maximum security prison for high-profile inmates, as well as beefing up security at existing prisons.
Overcrowding is a major concern for prison authorities, as prisoners are faced with difficult living conditions.
Directives were issued earlier to raise prison boundary walls followed by adding barbed wires. Mobile jammers were also installed to prevent any outside communication with the inmates.
The deadline for these measures was decided for June 30, 2014. However, an official privy to this information said the pace of work was too slow to meet this deadline.
Shedding light on Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s (K-P) prisons, they said all 21 facilities were overcrowded with inmates facing a multitude of problems. Three were still under construction, he added.
“Besides having high-profile inmates in four major prisons including Central Prison Peshawar, Bannu, Haripur and DI Khan, all the prisons are overcrowded and the process needs to be completed as soon as possible, but at this rate it will not happen within the stipulated time,” the official said.
When contacted, Khattak confirmed the delay in construction of the new prisons and said he was disappointed with the slow pace of construction.
“We have directed every single official concerned with the matter to speed up the process and complete the construction work as well as security arrangements at all current prisons immediately. The issue will be dealt with seriously,” Khattak said.
A letter earlier issued from district jail Mardan to the provincial human rights directorate highlighted the problems faced by the inmates in the prison. Jail authorities also informed the facility was overcrowded.
Beefed up security at courts
K-P Home and Tribal Affairs Department has extended its support of enhancing security at courts across the province, according to a statement issued from the home department on Tuesday.
Home Secretary Syed Akhtar Ali Shah held a meeting with Chairman K-P Bar Council Akhtar Ali Khan at the home department.
The statement added that Khan appraised the home secretary of the security situation at the courts and expressed the need for more precautions following the recent deadly attack at a court complex in Islamabad.
He also said that lawyers needed to feel safe so that they may perform their duties without any fear.
Shah assured Khan that all deputy commissioners have been directed to enhance security arrangements at all courts across the province, adding the department will not tolerate negligence in this regard.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 2nd, 2014.
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