ATTOCK, Aug 15: A number of prisoners of the district jail complained to Naib District Nazim Malik Sameen Khan about the problems being faced by them when he visited the jail on the Independence Day.

Superintendent jail Syed Babar Ali, Social Welfare Officer Khalid Saba, Home Department’s representatives and others officials were also present on the occasion.

The prisoners told the naib nazim that lack of health facilities was causing various diseases, including hepatitis, tuberculoses, heart problems, diabetes and asthma, among the jail inmates.

They said the jail was overcrowded as it had 1,100 prisoners against its capacity of 450. They demanded proper medical facilities for the inmates.

The prisoners also demanded the release of those involved in petty crimes. “If corrupt politicians and bureaucrats can be released under the cover of the NRO, then the prisoners charged with minor crimes should also be set free,” they added.

The prisoners alleged that the jail officials received bribe under one pretext or the other from them, adding to their miseries. They feared that the jail authorities could punish then on raising the bribery issue and sought protection from the naib nazim.

Some under trail-prisoners told the naib nazim about the slow pace of proceeding of their cases in the courts and appealed to him to raise the issue before the relevant authorities.

“We are crammed in a small vehicle like animals when taken from the jail to the courts,” the prisoners said, and asked for the separate vehicles for the women prisoners.

The prisoners complained that condition of the old jail barracks was poor and that they suffer hardships in the rainy and winter season. They also demanded for installation of a PCO to have access to their relatives. The also called for provision of clean drinking water to the jail inmates.

Some prisoners said they had completed their sentences but were still in the jail as they could not pay their fines because of their poor financial condition.

The naib nazim on the occasion directed officials of the social welfare department to prepare a report over the missing medical facilities in the jail hospital. He said that a medical team of the District Headquarters hospital would visit the jail for the medical checkup of the prisoners.

The naib nazim expressed his dissatisfaction over the performance of various NGOs which, he said, were getting huge funds from the donor agencies and government in the name of welfare of the prisoners.

He asked the jail administration to provide him list of the prisoners, who had completed their sentences but could not released due to non-payment of fines.

The jail superintendent informed him that eight prisoners were awaiting their release because of non-payment of Rs535,000 . The naib nazim paid Rs5,000 for the release of a prisoner, Nazir Ahmed, and said fines of other prisoners would also be paid with the help of philanthropists.

He directed the jail officials to widen the visitors’ barrack to facilitate the prisoners to meet with their relatives.

He said the district government had made arrangements for the prisoners who wanted to carry out their studies and that this year two prisoners appeared in the matric and intermediate examination. He said a teacher would be provided for the religious teaching of the jail inmates. The naib nazim said he would discuss problems of the prisoners with the district and sessions judge, jail authorities and the concerned quarters of the Punjab government for their solution