With new gym in jail, authorities hope to curb radical ideologies among inmates

Prisoners also have music hour, painting rooms and computer classes.

KARACHI:

The central jail in Karachi has seen a surge in the number of extremist militants as inmates. Fearing they would preach radical ideologies to the rest of the prisoners, the jail authorities have introduced a number of activities to keep the inmates’ minds off extremism.

So when the rest of the prisoners are enjoying their music hour or taking computer classes, the militants are holed up in a separate barrack. They unwind themselves by reading jihad literature, lying on their prayer mats and sneering at other inmates they think erring Muslims.

Though jail authorities try to seclude militants from other inmates, they fear that provocative messages from these prisoners, which are in a few hundred, can win over inmates, to believe in radical ideology.

“Entertainment and amusement is good for prisoners,” said jailer Shahab as he walks around the barracks and the policemen in his entourage whistle at the inmates to clear his way. “It rehabilitates them and will help them to survive when they go out.” Shahab walked on to an alley away from the jail’s largest mosque to a room with striking paintings, echoing with sounds of harmonium and tabla.



Jaffar Laan was comfortably settled on the floor, his powerful voice singing ‘Tauba’, a poem he wrote in prison. “There are different ways of asking for pardon and this is my way,” he explained. An under trial prison charged of fraud in property, Laan and his friend, Saleem, who plays the tabla, come every morning to loosen up.

“When I am here, I forgot that I am in the jail. I feel like flying,” smiled the man with long locks. Sitting near him was a man convicted in a bomb attack. He now relaxes by drawing and painting, an act which is forbidden and frowned upon by his extremist fellows.

Brushing strokes at a picture of a woman holding a new born baby, another inmate, Jawed Ali Shiraz, was happy that he got a chance to discover his talent at the prison. Shiraz is not afraid of anyone who is against it.

“Time is the most important element in my paintings,” he said, pointing to the wall, where pictures of watches and clocks hung. Shiraz beams to add that at a recent art exhibition, his work was sold for over Rs200,000.

Prisoners are also being updated with technical education, and diplomas in information technology. The jail now offers a one-year certified programme. “Educated prisoners want to be in a free environment where there is no fighting and bickering,” said an inmate and supervisor, Zafar Iqbal.  At the computer lab, other men are busy working on MS-Office and typing documents. “They can easily get a job when they leave.”

New gym                                   

Most recently, the city’s central jail became the only one in the country that has a gym. Abdul Ahad, a gym instructor, who runs a club in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, now spends his afternoon in a room equipped with exercising machines, dumbbells, and hardened criminals. “I was nervous when I was first approached,” he admitted. “But I know how to deal with the inmates now. They have to be dealt softly.”

Holding proper dumbbells, inmate Mohammad Arshad recalled how he made cement ones when the gym was not set up. “Being in the gym leads to a good night sleep and relaxes the body,” he said, adding that he makes sure he doesn’t miss out on prayers when he exercises. The jail superintendent, Kazi Nazir Ahmed, said that they want to provide the same services as provided in jails across the world. “With so much danger from militants inside and outside, we don’t want our other inmates to suffer,” he said. “We want them to stay away from extremism and become confident and moderate individuals.”

Published in The Express Tribune, July 7^th, 2013.