QUETTA - The Chairman of Senate’s Functional Committee on Human Rights Senator Afrasiab Khattak has said that recommendations regarding installation of jammers in all prisons of Balochistan and provision of proper food and health facilities to prisoners would be presented in the Parliament.
He stated this while talking to media persons after visiting Central Jail Quetta on Thursday. Afrasiab Khattak said that the prisoners did not have any representative union, therefore, they faced enormous difficulties. ‘As a political prisoner of the past, I am well aware about difficulties of prisoners particularly about food and health’, he remarked.
He said that the Committee wanted that the difficulties of prisoners particularly health and food should be solved and they would soon ask WAPDA to exempt prisons from loadshedding. Referring to prisoners under Foreign Act, Khattak said that they should be released forthwith after completion of their sentences. On the occasion, Inspector General Prisons Balochistan Malik Sultan Tareen while briefing the committee said that there were total 11 jails in Balochistan including 5 central and 6 district jails. He said that soon the Pishin and Chaman jails would be upgraded.
He said that the number of prisoners belonging to Afghanistan was high in the jails as compared to local prisoners. He told the delegation that jammers had been installed in Ghadani and Khuzdar jails and soon jammers would be installed in other jails. The committee was told that five vacancies of different grade were lying vacant in different jails and the local officers would be upgraded on them and the outsiders would be discouraged.
Upon which the committee assured that they would write a letter to Chief Minister Balochistan and would present their recommendations in the Parliament. Besides this, the Committee also assured that local people would be upgraded through judicial policy on the vacant posts and nobody would be sent from outside.
Afrasiab Khattak said that as he had experienced jail now he could witness much improvement in jails as compared to the past, however, more improvement was needed.
He said that despite lack of resources and low population they wanted upgradation of prisons of Balochistan like other provinces.
He said that Balochistan was also a province like other provinces of the country where Governor, Chief Minister, Chief Secretary and other authorities existed.
Afrasiab Khattak and other members of the committee visited the prison and met the prisoners.