RAWALPINDI, May 7: Malik Mohammad Shahbaz, an under-trial prisoner facing murder charges, will vote from the Adiala jail to bring a change.

“I will vote for a change,” maintained Shahbaz, 35, hailing from NA-55, a stronghold of Sheikh Rashid Ahmed.

“I will vote for a man who will bring a change in the system where justice is delivered to the poor,” he said.

The Adiala jail officials began an awareness campaign soon after the Election Commission allowed prisoners to vote on May 11.

“Through a banner they instructed the prisoners that if they have valid CNIC they should get themselves registered for voting through postal balloting,” maintained Shahbaz, who is facing charges under PPC 302 and PPC 109.

Shahbaz insisted: “I knew the importance of my vote and I will cast it to ensure change for good,” maintained Shahbaz, holding an MBA degree from a private university.

And jail authorities are equally concerned for the prisoner’s right to vote. According to superintendent jail Malik Mushtaq Awan, Adiala jail has seven constituencies and 123 out of 4,400 prisoners would cast their vote.

“We have NA-52, NA-53, NA-54, NA-55, NA-56, NA-48 (Islamabad Urban), and NA-49 (Islamabad Rural),” he told Dawn.

“Since the jail is meant for Rawalpindi and Islamabad districts so we will cater for these seven constituencies,” maintained the Punjab Prison department official.

Commenting on the procedure through which the prisoners would cast vote he said: “The district returning officers had already dispatched two declaration forms to these prisoners in a sealed envelope.”

He explained that prisoners would write the name of their constituency’s potential candidate for National Assembly or provincial assembly seat and would sign on the declaration form.

“If the prisoner is illiterate he will affix his thumb impression on the second form which will have and the name of his favourite candidate,” added Mushtaq Awan.

Asked how the record of prisoner was verified by the jail management, the superintendent jail said: “We sent the CNIC numbers through a short message service to Nadra and got the vote and record of all the 123 prisoners verified.”

Mr Mushtaq said: “once the prisoners cast their votes all these votes will be dispatched through courier service to the presiding officer concerned before May 11.”

The Punjab Prison department said out of 60,000 prisoners in 32 Punjab jails 1,170 prisoners would vote for the first time.

A Punjab Prison official said that in the past prisoners did cast their votes but during referendums of dictators.