Prison call office: Unchecked phone usage in Adiala a disaster in waiting

Despite installation of jammers, prisoners continue communicating with the outside world.

RAWALPINDI:

Provincial jail authorities have failed to stem the use of mobile phones by prisoners in Central Adiala Jail despite the installation of jammers, said an official of the Punjab prison department.

Adiala jail, the city’s largest prison, houses almost 5,000 prisoners including 70 terrorists, some of whom are high-profile prisoners. Yet, the use of mobile phones is rampant among both, under-trial and convicted prisoners which is a major security threat, said the official.

Security agencies have already declared the illegal practice a security risk, said the official. He added that a recent security agency report revealed that prisoners involved in high-profile cases have made ‘connections’ inside the jail which allow them to use prohibited communication and other facilities thanks to their ‘influential’ nature. The report was sent to the government and suggested that police keep an eye on prisoners being released in the near future.

Some of the high-profile inmates include the accused of the Bhara Kahu suicide attack in 2013, Mumbai attacks, Benazir Bhutto murder case, POF Wah Cantt twin suicide attack in 2008, attacks on General (retd) Pervez Musharraf’s motorcade and Mumtaz Qadri, the convicted assassin of Punjab Governor Salman Taseer.

Another senior official in the district administration said that in April this year, over 3,000 calls were made by prisoners using mobile phones, despite the jammers. “There is a dire need to eliminate this practice as we cannot afford another DI Khan-style jailbreak,” remarked the official.

Militants broke into the Bannu jail in 2012 and DI Khan central prison in 2013, freeing around 400 and 200 prisoners respectively, including high-profile terrorists.

A senior lawyer who deals with murder cases and often visits Adiala jail said the prison staff is corrupt and involved in dubious dealings with prisoners. He suggested a major overhaul for Adiala and suggested that international standards be adhered to at the planned jail in the federal capital. The lawyer said that continuous negligence by authorities could end with a jailbreak of similar nature to bannu or DI Khan.

Earlier this year threat alerts were issued stating militants were planning attacks on various installations in the twin cities, including Adiala jail, to free their comrades.

Islamabad High Court Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui recently sought a report from Punjab Prisons Inspector General Mian Farooq Naseer over the illegal use of mobiles phones and violation of the jail manual in Adiala prison. The court will take up the matter next week.

When contacted, Naseer admitted the illegal practice continues. He claimed in a recent surprise visit to the jail, he suspended jail officers who were suspected of providing prisoners with mobile phones and facilitating them. Responding to a question, the police official said he has ordered an inquiry and will look into the matter at length after the report is submitted.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 6^th, 2014.