July 30, 2008	Wednesday	Rajab 26, 1429

LARKANA, July 29: Over 1,400 prisoners in the central prison of Larkana on Tuesday refused to go back to their barracks due to prolonged power outage.

Talking to Dawn on Tuesday night, the Assistant Superintendent of Jail, Malik Aslam, said that “we are negotiating with the protesting prisoners to end their protest”.

The sources inside the jail said that none of the officers of jail had contacted them. The eight hour power cut in the day time and six hours during the night had become a routine and, due to high temperature and suffocation, the prisoners were experiencing difficulties.

The central prison could house only 450 prisoners but at present 1,485 were lodged in the jail that had increased suffocation, said the assistant jail superintendent. Instead of keeping 25 prisoners per barrack, 75 were accommodated in it which was quite trouble some.

The jail official on Tuesday met the Superintendent Engineer of Hesco, Larkana circle, and complained about the prolonged outages.

The SE said he could not exclude the jail in the scheduled loadshedding and advised them to get dual power line, the jail official told Dawn.