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December 16, 2020
ISLAMABAD: Mehdi Khan was 100-year-old by the time he was awarded sentence on a murder charge. He was too weak to walk and visually impaired; his heart and lungs malfunctioned. When police came for his arrest, he was in a wheelchair which accompanied him to jail in Gujrat.
An appeal was filed for his bail in February 2020 on grounds of old age and illness under Rule 146 of the Punjab Prison Rules. Prison Department was asked to furnish a reply. Medical examination confirmed the critical health conditions, according to Mehdi Khan’s lawyer, Hamza Haider. However, authorities and the complainant opposed his release.
Covid spreads in Sindh’s jails
Prisons limit inmates family visits to once in 10 days as cases quadruple
As the pandemic surges across the country, the number of active coronavirus cases in Sindh s prisons has risen from 31 to 112 in a span of 10 days. Given the rise in cases, jail administrations in the province have decided to restrict family visits for inmates to once in 10 days.
Earlier, prisoners were allowed to meet their families twice a week.
The new round of Covid-19 screening among inmates was initiated on the directives of Sindh Prisons IG Qazi Nazeer Ahmed. Despite strict implementation of standard operating procedures (SOPs) to curb the spread of the virus, several more positive cases were detected across the provincial jails.
Pakistan prison population increased in early months of pandemic: report
Trials delayed because of lockdown SAMAA | Web desk - Posted: Dec 14, 2020 | Last Updated: 4 months ago SAMAA | Web desk Posted: Dec 14, 2020 | Last Updated: 4 months ago
Artwork: SAMAA Digital
Pakistanâs prison population increased in the early months of the pandemic, according to a report on the countryâs prisons.
Prisoners of the Pandemic â The Right to Health and COVID-19 in Pakistanâs detention facilities was released Monday by the Amnesty International and Justice Project Pakistan.Â
In April 2020, there were 41,223 prisoners in Punjab, 14,598 in Sindh, 10,794 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and 1,820 in Balochistan. In September, the numbers increased to 45,123 in Punjab, 17,322 in Sindh, 11,891 in KP, and 2,076 in Balochistan.