Rawalpindi - Senior Medical Officer (SMO) Adiala Jail was transferred by the jail superintendent after the jail doctor drew attention of jail authorities towards supply of narcotics inside the jail and increasing the number of drug addicts in the jail hospital.
Besides highlighting corruption in jail, the jail doctor’s denial to send the main accused of Haj corruption case outside jail on medical ground on pressure of superintendent was the other reason led to his ouster, reliable sources disclosed to The Nation on Thursday.
The jail doctor was directed by the authorities concerned to report secretary health Punjab.
According to sources, SMO Adaila Jail Dr Arif informed the Jail Superintendent Malik Mushtaq Ahmed Awan that huge quantity of narcotics, including heroin, was being supplied to prisoners inside the jail, which caused increase in the number of drug addicts and some patients were at the verge of death. “The jail superintendent instead of taking action on doctor’s complaint, made counter attack on him and transferred him from jail,” they informed.
When approached former SMO Dr Arif by this scribe, he said that he was transferred by the jail superintendent with help of Inspector General of Prisons and a special secretary in home department over highlighting the issue of supply of heroin inside jail and increasing the number of drug addicts in jail hospital. He alleged that narcotics was being smuggled inside the jail from Tower Number 12 located at backside of jail hospital and he after taking charge unveiled the smugglers and brought the matter into notice of jail administration. Instead of taking action, he said, the jail superintendent transferred him.
He said that he earned wrath of superintendent in another issue of not sending Haj corruption case accused Ahmed Faiz outside jail on medical ground. “Ahmed Faiz has no medical complications and can be treated in jail hospital. I refused to send him outside because it came into my notice that an attempt of fleeing Ahmed Faiz can be made under the garb of providing medical treatment outside the jail,” he said.
He said earlier an accused Rooh Ullah was also escaped from jail police custody. “I do not want to put my service on stake by sending a healthy prisoner outside the jail for medical treatment,” he said. He said that superintendent had appointed his blue eyed SMO in jail hospital to facilitate the main accused in the name of medical treatment. He said that superintendent also mercilessly beaten a prisoner Zulfiqar and later forced him to run naked before the prisoners. He said that jail administration seized 600 tokens of heroin (weighing 250 gram) a couple of days before but shown only 200 in record.
He alleged that superintendent Malik Mushtaq Ahmed Awan had approached IG Prisons and Special Secretary and transferred me from Adiala Jail without any reason.
The jail doctor also provided a video recording of a head warden of jail who was standing behind the hospital and a prisoner was showing him packet of heroin and complaining that the quality of heroin was not good.
Superintendent Adiala Jail Malik Mushtaq Ahmed Awan, when contacted, rebuffed all the allegations leveled against him by the former SMO and said he was transferred in light of reports of Inter Services Intelligence (ASI). “The premier intelligence agency forwarded a report against the doctor, accusing him of harassing women prisoners in their cells,” he said, adding Dr Arif himself had engineered the plan of recording a video  by deputing his trustworthy warden and prisoner behind the hospital who were shown in video while discussing quality of heroin. “The jail security is foolproof. No body can supply heroin inside it,” he said.
On a query, Malik said that Mushtaq, the prisoner, was not tortured and transferred to Attock jail on account of receiving money from other prisoners, asking them that he would help them in getting their bails from courts. He said that only 200 token of heroin were recovered from jail and cases were registered against the prisoners.
Former SMO Dr Arif appealed to Chief Justice of Pakistan, Prime Minister, Interior Minister and Chief Minister Punjab to take notice of the ongoing corruption and irregularities in country’s biggest Adiala Jail and provide him justice. IG Prisons Mian Farooq Nazir was not available for his comments on the issue.