Expressing concern over the miserable condition of seven prisoners of Adiyala Jail Rawalpindi presently detained at an internment center in Landi Kotal, the Supreme Court on Wednesday issued notices to the attorney general, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa advocate general and counsel for ISI and the Military Intelligence to submit a report in this regard.
A three-member bench of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Khilji Arif Hussain and Justice Tariq Parvez was hearing a plea filed by Ms Ruhaifa, mother of two prisoners.
The chief justice directed them to inform the court that who was responsible for the worst condition of the prisoners. “We would not allow anyone to badly treat the prisoners,” the chief justice said.
He said even the Geneva Convention provided guidelines for proper treatment of prisoners, adding that the persons kept in internment centers were Pakistani citizens and not foreign enemies. He said four prisoners had already died in custody.
He inquired from Raja Muhammad Irshad, counsel for the ISI and MI, that why were the prisoners treated badly. Raja Irshad informed the court that his clients had no role in this matter. He said now KP chief secretary and provincial government was responsible for poor condition. Earlier, Tariq Asad, the counsel for missing prisoners, informed the court that the life of seven surviving prisoners of the 11 Adiyala Jail inmates allegedly picked by agencies after their release, were in danger. He said five of them, namely Dr Niaz Ahmed, Abdul Basit, Gulrose, Muhammad Shafiq and Shafiqur Rehman were detained in an internment center in Landi Kotal. He told the court that on April 6, 2012 he and the relatives of missing persons visited the internment center.
He said the meeting of relatives along with their counsel was arranged with the detainees in a very congenial environment one by one for over an hour. However, he said they were disappointed to see their living conditions, as they were being kept in an unhygienic cell of about 7×7 square feet, which smelled foul. “They are not allowed to walk even for a moment, which is causing swelling in their legs,” Asad said.
He said Dr Niaz Ahmed, who was admitted to Lady Reading Hospital, was also shifted to the Internment Center against the medical report and the apex court order. He said it was observed during the meeting that he was in a critical condition. Dr Niaz told them that he was suffering from tuberculosis and hydronephrosis, as the treatment had been discontinued, the lawyer said. “Abdul Majid and Mazharul Haq, who are still admitted in the hospital, are also not in safe condition. Majid is suffering from Hepatitis-C and cancer, while Mazhar was suffering from fever and there is apprehension of cancer too,” Asad submitted.
He prayed that the detainees be provided a specific room or rooms for proper living with reasonable beds in the camp.
He said the detainees be allowed to walk for at least an hour within the premises under security and their proper treatment as prescribed by the consultants of the medical board of Lady Reading Hospital be ensured.
