Inmate accuses officials of plotting to kill him

Adiala Jail superintendent recommends shifting ‘recalcitrant’ prisoner to Attock

RAWALPINDI:

An inmate, who had earlier pointed out alleged corruption and irregularities in Adiala jail, has alleged that a plot was being hatched to torture and kill him, seeking protection from the threat to his life.

Adiala Jail Superintendent Ejaz Asghar has dismissed the allegations as baseless, recommending shifting the recalcitrant prisoner to Attock or any other jail.

The jail superintendent has also made an interesting observation in the recommendation sent to an anti-terrorism court judge, a copy of which is available with The Express Tribune, that “if the prisoner feels that his life is in danger in the common barracks, he can be moved to the security zone, but it will be difficult for him to stay there because there he will not be able to wander with other hard-core prisoners”.

In a letter, the prisoner has appealed for protection by claiming that a plot was being hatched to target him in jail.

The 21-year-old prisoner SH*, who has been arrested in an anti-terrorism case, was allegedly stripped and subjected to torture by Adiala jail officials after he failed to arrange a bribe, has sent the letter to the court concerned.

The prisoner has said in the letter that some time ago, he was asked for a bribe in jail. However, he refused to pay the bribe, on which he was subjected to severe torture.

He said that in this regard when complaints were made in the court, Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Athar Minallah also took notice of the complaint. The IHC chief justice and the National Commission for Human Rights team also visited the jail, he said adding that after the visit, prisoners got relief.

It has been written in the letter that the court had ordered action against the IG prisons and Jail Superintendent Jail Ijaz Asghar, however, the order of the court was not followed.

The prisoner has demanded to take action against Assistant Mitta Muhammad and Jail Superintendent Ijaz Asghar who have tortured him.

The prisoner has further stated that on October 31, he came to know that the jail superintendent, the deputy superintendent and assistant Mitta and others planned to kill him. The letter said that another prisoner has been given the task to kill him in jail.

The prisoner said that he was being told that his complaint to the court has scandalized the jail administration. In the letter, the prisoner has appealed to take notice of the incident and provide him protection.

In the letter, the prisoner has appealed to the high authorities to visit the prison to find out the facts. He said that if anything happened to him, four officials including the superintendent should be held responsible.

Meanwhile, Jail Superintendent Ijaz Asghar said that a report has been sent to the anti-terrorism court concerned.

He rebuffed the prisoner's complaint as false and a continuation of the previous false complaints.

He said that the IHC chief justice and other judges visited the jail and listened to the complaints of the inmates. The delegation directed him to ensure adherence to jail rules.

The delegation also told the prisoners that if the writ of law is challenged, the jail authorities will be bound to act according to the rules. Similarly, during the visit, he said a report was also presented to the IHC chief justice regarding violations committed by prisoners and other applicants.

He said that a video was also shown to the delegation of judges. In the video, the complainants can be seen inciting other inmates at various occasions.

The jail superintendent in the letter written to the anti-terrorism court said that the prisoner's complaint was also a conspiracy to blackmail the jail administration so that he can continue to do whatever he wanted in jail. The jail superintendent further said in the report that very personal and illegal allegations have been made in the letter of the prison.

He said the jail authorities take care to enforce the law and the IHC chief justice also appreciated the action of the jail authorities.

The report has expressed apprehension that the prisoner may create a new issue by harming himself and before anything happened, the prisoner should be transferred to District Jail Attock or any other jail so that he can consider himself safe and the jail administration can avoid further blackmailing.

Earlier, the Islamabad High Court ordered to take action against IG prisons Punjab and the Adiala jail superintendent over the alleged ill-treatment of prisoners in jail.

While directing the federal government to set up a human rights court within a week, the court said that a trial of human rights viola-tions would be held in the special court. The court also directed to set up a complaint cell in Adiala jail.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 5^th, 2022.