A commission was formed by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday to investigate the mistreatment of prisoners languishing in jails across the country and to provide assistant to the needy.
Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari will head the commission, which will investigate the factors which prevented the government from enforcing the Prison Rules and Code of Criminal Procedure, and subsequently deprived the prisoners suffering from illnesses in jails from their due rights.
The commission was formed after IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah heard a complaint filed by an Adiala Jail inmate named Khadim Hussain, who said that owing to the authorities’ negligence, he had lost his eyesight, and could not file a case against the authorities because of the lack of financial resources. His complaint was converted into a petition.
The commission will include the secretaries of the interior and health ministries, the chief secretaries of the four provinces, former chairperson of the Human Rights Commission Zohra Yousaf, journalist Ghazi Shahabuddin, Supreme Court lawyer and philanthropist Zia Awan and former FIA director General Tariq Khosa. The human rights secretary will serve the as the commission’s secretary.
The body will prepare proposals to deal with the human rights violations in prisons and suggest amendments to the existing law and rules. It will also come up with proposals for appropriate governance and management systems and ensuring individual and institutional accountability. The commission will hold its first meeting within seven days after receiving a copy of the court verdict and submit a compliance report.
