Prisons stuffed beyond capacity

Only Balochistan jails have extra space

ISLAMABAD: Jails in Pakistan are overcrowded, except Balochistan where capacity still exists to house prisoners, an interior ministry report submitted in the Islamabad High Court said.

IHC on Tuesday, resuming the hearing of a case pertaining to implementation on jail rules, clubbed the said case with another case of same nature about provision of medical facilities to prisoners already being tried by the same bench.



IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah resumed the hearing whereas the Ministry of Interior officials submitted the report from all the provinces about the implementation on jail rules and facilities being provided to prisoners.

The same court had directed strictly to implement on jail rules and sought a thorough report while listening the Nawaz Sharif bail plea. The court connected the said case with another plea filed by a death sentenced prisoner Khadim Hussain about lack of facilities being provided to prisoners in jails. Both cases will now be heard simultaneously on December 14.

During the hearing, the interior ministry submitted reports from all the provinces to the court, according to which 77000 prisoners have been kept in 114 jails across the country against the maximum capacity of 57,000 prisoners. Balochistan is the only province where the capacity still exists. The 42 jails in Punjab have a capacity to house 32,477 inmates people in 42 jails however, 47,077 people are imprisoned.

At least 47,077 people are imprisoned in 42 jails of Punjab against capacity of 32,477. Of these, 17,056 are convicts and 26,725 are under trial prisoners.

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In Sindh, 17,239 people are kept in 24 jails against the given capacity of 13,038 people. From the total in Sindh, 4,808 people are convicts while 12,431 people are under trial. In K-P 10,871 inmates have been kept in 37 jails in place of capacity for 9,642 inmates. From the total, 2,794 people are convicts while 7,668 people are under-trial. In Balochistan, 2,585 people are detained in 11 jails of Balochistan from which 798 are convicted while 1,184 are under-trial.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 4^th, 2019.