Federal Ombudsman: Three bodies formed to ensure rights of prisoners

Will work to improve conditions of prisoners, especially women, children.

ISLAMABAD: Federal Ombudsman Salman Farooqui on Tuesday constituted three committees to propose ways to ensure rights of prisoners.

The committees were constituted on prisoner’s rights, plight of women convicts and rights of imprisoned children, said a statement from the ombudsman’s office.

The meeting was held in pursuance of a Supreme Court order to review conditions of prisoners and for resolving the systemic issues of maladministration in government departments.

It was attended by the Balochistan provincial ombudsman, representatives of Punjab, Sindh, and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) provincial ombudsmen, Punjab and K-P information commissioners, Balochistan IG Prisons and secretary of Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan.

The committees would work for implementation of direction of Supreme Court to improve conditions of prisoners across the country and would have representation of senior officials, journalists and technocrats.

Farooqui stated that all efforts will be made for implementation of the Supreme Court’s direction and so far a number of steps have been taken in this regard.

He also expressed the resolve that all efforts would be made to solve the issues of overseas Pakistanis on a priority basis.

Federal Ombudsman Secretariat’s Senior Law Adviser Ahsaan Ahmad Khokhar apprised participants that the Wafaqi Mohtasib has decided 152,000 complaints in two years. He also highlighted the initiatives of the grievance cell for overseas Pakistanis in 150 days.

A team of senior advisers of the federal ombudsman office visited Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi on Wednesday and enquired about the conditions and statistics of prisons, especially women and children, it was stated.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 30^th, 2015.