Alleged prisoner abuse sparks outrage
Punjab jail authorities landed in hot water on Friday after videos depicting alleged atrocities against a prisoner languishing in a Gujrat jail surfaced on social media.
Zaheer Uddin Babar, who was transferred from a jail in Jhelum to Gujrat was allegedly subjected to brutal torture. The shocking videos revealed the extreme mistreatment and abuse he suffered during his captivity.
However, Rawalpindi prisons DIG declared the torture videos to be self-made and clarified that the intention behind videos of the prisoner is to coerce the jail administration and use for blackmailing purposes. He claimed an inquiry revealed that the prisoner’s fellow inmates had confessed to creating the videos. Based on the inquiry, a case has also been registered, he added.
However, the disturbing videos emerging from the Gujrat jail tell a different story, showing a prisoner arrested for murder being mistreated. The footage depicts a prisoner shackled behind bars with one hand chained to the bars of the prison. Although the prisoner’s legs are visible, it remains unclear whether his feet dangle in mid-air or rest on a chair.
Another video also shows the prisoner's other hand tied to the bars, leaving him helpless and unable to sit or free himself from the chain. In another video, the prisoner can be seen lying in a semi-recumbent position with one leg and one foot tied to bars. The prisoner's state seemed severely deteriorated due to inhuman treatment.
However, nobody took notice or action. Furthermore, another video depicts an unidentified individual wearing a prison cap inflicting torture on the prisoner.
The relatives of the prisoner have appealed to the Chief Justice of Pakistan, the Lahore High Court, the prime minister, the chief minister of Punjab, and the Punjab prisons IG to take notice of the abuse and mistreatment of Zaheer Uddin Babar. They claimed that the authorities are attempting to torture and ill-treat him to force him to withdraw his writ petition.
Meanwhile, The Express Tribune reached out to Rawalpindi Prisons DIG Abdul Rauf Rana for his comments on the matter. In response, Abdul Rauf Rana stated that Zaheer Uddin Babar still has two years remaining on his sentence. Zaheer Uddin Babar, incarcerated in a Gujrat jail, has been transferred from the Adiala Central Jail and Jhelum Jail.