Committee meeting: Call for separate jail for women

Rehman Malik makes suggestion in Senate committee meeting.

ISLAMABAD: Chairperson of the Senate Standing Committee on Interior Rehman Malik on Monday remarked that there should be a separate jail for women in the country and their staff hired from the same gender.

Chairing the committee meeting at the Parliament House, he said that prisoners were using mobile phones in jails despite installation of jammers and added, every one knows what sort of corruption was being done in jail.

During the meeting, jails officials briefed the committee about proposed reforms for betterment of prisons and apprised that the Central Jail Staff Training Academy needed funds for training of the staff along modern lines.

The committee was informed that the academy had purchased weapons in 1975, 2003 and 2004 and they were only getting Rs20.2 million budget though their demand was Rs41.2 million.

To this, the committee assured the officials of their full support.

“Jails administrations are getting Rs60 for each meal of a prisoner in Punjab but Rs140 in Sindh,” officials added.

Rehman Malik said there should be proper treatment of prisoners in jails and cited, there were separate places in jails in various countries to keep the accused and those found guilty.

The committee was briefed by the Islamabad chief commissioner on the operation against slums in the capital.

Rehman Malik and other members of committee appreciated the efforts for vacation of the slums.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 4^th, 2015.