MoU signed: Prisoners to be provided food, education

AIOU, Comsats, Sweet Homes to provide basic facilities to inmates.

ISLAMABAD: In order to bring reforms in the lives of prisoners, the Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) and Comsats Institute of Information Technology inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for providing free education to juvenile, women and ordinary prisoners.

Besides, another MoU was signed by head of Pakistan Sweet Homes Zamurad Khan, pledging to provide fundamental facilities including food to child prisoners.

The signing ceremony was held at the Federal Ombudsman Secretariat on Friday.

In his speech, Federal Ombudsman Salman Faruqui revealed that the findings of a committee constituted for bringing reforms in jails were shocking. It emerged during visits that juvenile prisoners aging from six months to around 12 years were confined in jails, the ombudsman said. He said some of the juveniles were in jails for committing crimes of a very small nature.

Faruqui said the agreements can bring revolutionary changes in the lives of child prisoners and help in making them a positive part of society.

Initially, these facilities would be provided to Adiala Jail Rawalpindi, Kot Lakhpat Jail Lahore and Karachi, Haripur and Quetta prisons.

According to the MoU, both educational institutes will provide free educational facilities to children, women and ordinary prisoners in light of directions of the Supreme Court.

The ombudsman had constituted a committee for bringing reforms in jails after the apex court issued directions in connection with the miserable condition of prisoners in different prisons. The committee members paid surprise visits to different jails and presented their recommendations, including provision of free education to child prisoners, women and ordinary prisoners.

The administrations of AIOU and Comsats expressed resolve to provide education, including technical education, to the prisoners, whereas free of cost books and other educational material would also be provided.

AIOU Vice Chancellor Dr Shahid Siddiqui and Comsats Rector Junaid Zaidi signed the MoU on behalf of their respective institutes while secretary Ahsan Mehboob did so on behalf of the federal ombdusman.

Higher Education Commission Chairman Dr Mukhtar Ahmed and other senior officials from related departments spoke on the occasion. Among others, IG Prisons Punjab, Sindh, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and senior officials of the ombudsman’s office were also present.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 22^nd, 2015.