KARACHI – The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday issued notices to secretaries of the Finance, Health, and Planning & Development (P&D) departments, as well as the Sindh Prisons inspector general (IG), while hearing a petition moved by Syed Iqbal Kazmi, seeking medical treatment for inmates across the province suffering from HIV/AIDS.
SHC judge Justice Ghulam Sarwar Korai also ordered the Prisons IG to appear in person in the next hearing to be held on March 16. The applicant submitted that the court had summoned the respondents in the last hearing to submit their comments, but they have failed to do so; therefore, he requested for conducting contempt of court proceedings against them.
The court had issued notices to the respondents in the previous hearing, but no representatives of the Finance, Health, and P&D departments, as well as the Prisons IG, have so far appeared before the court. On Monday, the Prisons SP appeared before the court on behalf of the IG, but the court expressed displeasure and issued orders for the IG to appear in person in the next hearing. The applicant submitted that there are 40 inmates in Karachi Central, Malir District, and Women and Juvenile jails who are ill, but no appropriate medical arrangements have been made for them.
The number of sick convicts could increase if the negligent attitude of the authorities concerned does not change, the applicant added.
In the previous hearing, Malir District Jail SP Ashraf Nizamani had submitted a report, revealing that there were 23 prisoners who were suffering from AIDS. He had admitted that there was no proper medical facility for the sick inmates. MAY 12 PETITION POSTPONED: The SHC has postponed the proceedings on Kazmi’s petition regarding the carnage that took place on May 12, 2007. A division bench, comprising Justice Maqbool Baqir and Justice Shahid Anwar Bajwa, have adjourned the hearing until after summer vacations. Kazmi moved with an applicant, submitting that he had already moved an application to the Supreme Court, requesting to initiate proceedings on the May 12 carnage, as it was not possible for the SHC to continue the proceedings due to security reasons.
The applicant stated that when the SHC had taken suo motu notice over the carnage case, the SHC building was surrounded by thousands of activists belonging to a political party, threatening the judges; therefore, the proceedings on his prior constitutional petition should be adjourned until the Supreme Court issues a verdict on his application. After hearing the comments, the court adjourned the proceedings until after the vacations to a date that would be fixed later.
