Federal ombudsman to monitor jail conditions

Islamabad: The National Commissioner on Child Rights together with Unicef and other stakeholders has worked out a phased programme for improving the living conditions in jails, especially of women and children detainees.

To start up with, four jails from across the country have been selected including Central Jail Quetta, Haripur Jail, Faisalabad Borstal Jail and Central Jail Karachi and after proper assessment of the conditions and facilities needed, the initiative would focus on provision of essential supplies to women and children, provision of health and education within the jail premises, and provision of psychological, social and legal assistance to the women and children inmates.

The up gradation, renovation and refurbishment of the relevant portions of the above jails would also be undertaken under the new initiative. Capacity building of jail staff and up gradation of existing prison manual also figure on list of reform measures to be introduced under the plan.

For execution of the programme Unicef will be the major source of funding, while COMSATS, Bar Associations, HEC, Pakistan Sweet Homes, Allama Iqbal Open University and number of philanthropists would also extend support to the plan.

The partners after detailed assessment of facilities required in jails and deliberations will formulate recommendations focusing on women and children for improving jail environment and rules governing jail operations. The National Commissioner for Children of Wafaqi Mohtasib Secretariat will quarterly monitor the progress of the Action Plan.

The details were shared in a meeting presided over by Wafaqi Mohtasib, Syed Tahir Shahbaz and attended by Parliamentarians, Unicef representatives, philanthropists, legal experts and senior functionaries of concerned government departments held at Wafaqi Mohtasib.

Speaking on this occasion, Syed Tahir Shahbaz stressed urgent measures for improving the plight of women and children detainees in Pakistani jails. Wafaqi Mohtasib said that multiple long term measures were required for improving the jail environment and efforts should accord due priority to the conditions of women and children detainees.

He expressed the hope that fresh initiative with the support of Unicef and civil society will succeed in introducing significant reforms in the existing prison conditions to bring it as par with acceptable civilised standards.

The Ombudsman said that the initiative launched in collaboration with Unicef by the National Commissioner for Children was in fact continuation of the earlier efforts of the Prison Reforms Committee, set up in pursuance of Supreme Court directive which had after extensive deliberations and visits highlighted the pathetic jail conditions and recommended workable measures for bringing the required changes in prisons.

Earlier, the Secretary, Wafaqi Mohtasib Secretariat, Muhammad Asghar Chaudhry and Senior Adviser/National Commissioner for Children Ejaz Ahmad Qureshi apprised the participants of the meeting on the working and initiatives of Wafaqi Mohtasib and aims and objectives of the current programme and appreciated the cooperation extended to the cause by Unicef and other imminent persons.

The meeting was attended by Rahila Durrani, Speaker Balochistan Assembly, Shaheen Atiqur Rehamn, former minister, government of Pubjab, imminent lawyer Zia Awan, President Islamabad Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Parveen Agha of National Commission on Children, Members of Civil Society besides, representatives of concerned government departments.