OBSERVER REPORT ISLAMABAD An alarming number of prisoners who are languishing in jails across the four provinces have not been convicted and are thus contributing to overcrowding in prisons, says a report submitted on Saturday by a commission constituted by the Islamabad High Court (IHC). On November 22, 2019, the IHC had constituted a commission to ensure civil liberties of prisoners. The court had converted the complaint of a convict, Khadim Hussain, into a petition that highlighted the negligence of the executive authorities which had caused damage to the complainant’s eyesight. During Saturday’s Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari appeared before the court and presented a report of the com mission regarding jail reforms and the situation of prisoners. According to the report, under-trial prisoners constitute more than half of the prison population in all four provinces. An alarming 71 per cent of all prisoners in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are unconvicted. The propor tion is 70pc in Sindh, 55pc in Punjab and 59pc in Balochistan. “Even though these prisoners have not yet been convicted of any offences they are languishing in prisons and contributing to overcrowding,” says the report. The report also sheds light on serious physical and mental ailments that the country’s prison population is suffering from. According to data provided by prison authorities in all four provinces which has been cited in the report, a total of 1,823 inmates are suffering from hepatitis, 425 have HIV, 173 tuberculosis, 594 mental illnesses and 2,192 are suffering from other ailments. According to the document, almost half of the sanctioned posts of medical staff remain vacant in prisons across the country. “To worsen the situation, not every prison is equipped with medical and dental equipment and very few prisons have functioning labs and paramedical staff,” the report says, noting that prison authorities often fail to provide ambulances to transfer prisoners to hospitals in emergencies. It regrets that inmates continue to suffer violations of their rights inside prisons because they are “not adequately informed” of their rights at the time of sentencing.
