Torture and harassment of prisoners in Adiala Jail has become a norm, a prisoner released a couple of days ago said on Saturday.
“The prisoners are given unhygienic food and have no beds to sleep. Moreover, the food which prisoners’ families send is usually taken away by the jail officials,” said a former prisoner. “Due to lack of clean drinking water, contagious diseases are common among inmates. Those suffering are left unattended unless their conditions become very serious. Even then, doctors check the patients very casually,” he said.
He said all kinds of drugs, including heroin, hashish and opium were available in the prison at ease. “Prisoners can easily get mobile phones by paying jail officials Rs 5,000 to Rs10,000,” he added.
“As a punishment, almost two dozen prisoners are sometimes sent to the Qasuri cell, which has the capacity of just four prisoners,” he said. He said if an inmate brought money while entering the jail, all his money would be taken away by the officials, who called the extortion, ‘jail fund’.
“The jailer has immense powers. Former prime minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto once said had he known about the powers of the jailer, he would have preferred to become a jailer instead of a prime minister,” he said.
