Incarceration: Govt told to complete new prisons within two months

A civil society member had filed petition about condition of prisoners in Punjab and construction of new jails

LAHORE: Lahore High Court (LHC) has directed the Punjab government to complete five under-construction jails in the province within two months.

Justice Farrukh Irfan Khan also constituted a committee to ensure that the development work on jails in Hafizabad, Narowal, Shujabad, Rajanpur and Khanewal was completed within the deadline.

Advocate General of Punjab Shakilur Rehman will head the committee. Prisons DIG, additional secretaries of Home, Communication and Works, Planning and Development and Finance Departments will be its members.

Advocate Syed Moazzam Ali Shah, counsel for the petitioner in the case, will also be a member of the committee.

A civil society member, Rida Qazi, had filed the petition about the condition of prisoners in the Punjab and construction of new jails.

Earlier, the judge had expressed dissatisfaction over a report submitted by the AGP.

He accepted it following an undertaking given by the law officer that all the departments concerned had been sensitised and the matter was under the purview of the chief executive of the province.

The AGP submitted that no further delay would take place.

Justice Khan warned that contempt proceedings would be initiated against officials of electricity distribution companies if electricity connections were not given to Hafizabad and Rajanpur jails by the next hearing. The judge adjourned the hearing for October 18.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 27^th, 2016.