Winter woes : Bitter cold tough test for Adiala jail inmates

Detainees complain of disparities and poor safety precautionary protocols within jail

RAWALPINDI:

Disparity between the inmates of the historic Adiala Central Jail, located in the federal capital’s twin city, Rawalpindi, and known for its notable prisoners over the years, becomes even more prominent in the winter season.

While those in Class B or other special classes have access to hot water geysers and electric heaters in their cells, the poor can only dream of such luxuries as they are forced to sleep on cold floors in cramped barracks. The solution for accused inmates, like Shah Nawaz, is to buy coal from the jail canteen but like retailers across the country the canteen also jacks up prices and currently coal is retailing between Rs 400 to 500 per kilogramme at Adiala.

Shah Nawaz, who appeared in the Judicial Complex Rawalpindi courts and would not state the crime he is accused for, informed The Express Tribune.. that there was no arrangement in the jail to avoid the cold. “The cold is so unbearable that sleep is hard to come by so all of us [prisoners] spend the night shivering,” he lamented.

Another accused Qaiser Khan, had similar woes. He stated that the water inside Adiala was always cold and it was hard for him to perform ablution to pray. “I have not showered for the last 12 days because the water is severely cold,” Khan informed.

Niaz Ali, directing his ire towards the Adiala jail administration, said that they should implement one system for all prisoners. “Currently there are two jails within Adiala; one for the poor and one for the rich. We are guilty but not convicted yet and even if convicted, our basic human rights cannot be denied,” Ali implored.

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Superintendent of Adiala Jail, Arshad Warraich, acknowledging the drop in temperature as worrying for detainees, informed The Express Tribune that they had allowed all inmates to have heaters, warm blankets, and set up a coal fire.

“Adiala is still better than many prisons with regard to winter arrangements.

We take all measures possible to prevent the cold and prisoners are also checked by the health department on a routine basis,” Warraich stated.

Omicron Threat

With the colder months known for weakening people’s immune response system, it is worrying in Adiala’s context due to superspreader’s new variant which could potentially turn the famous jail into a hotbed of the virus for its 7,000 incarcerated population.

Feroz Khan, who is currently being held at the jail, talked to The Express Tribune.. about the lack of Covid-19 related safety precautions, as he waited to be summoned before the court. “No one wears a mask in the jail and with all prisoners forced to sleep side by side standard operating procedures (SOPs) are non-existent,” he informed.

Sheikh Zulqarnain, concurring with the views of his fellow inmate, added that if one was to conduct tests today at the jail they would find that many prisoners were infected with either dengue or the coronavirus.

However, Warraich, who took charge of Adiala over the summer, stated that complaints by prisoners were not based on fact as every safety measure was being followed. “Masks are still required and 5,000 inmates have been fully vaccinated, so we do take care of our prisoners’ heath needs. It is due to our efforts that no inmate has lost their lives to the virus,” Warraich told The Express Tribune..

 

Published in The Express Tribune, December 20^th, 2021.