RAWALPINDI: The Punjab home department on Tuesday suspended the Adiala jail superintendent Saeedullah Gondal and four other officials for 90 days on the charges of misconduct, inefficiency and negligence and directed them to report to the Punjab directorate of prison.

Other officials who were also suspended include deputy superintendent Furrukh Rasheed, assistant superintendent Sajid Ali, warder Mohammad Imtiaz and head warder Mohammad Arshad.

Their suspension came after the two-member investigation team of Punjab prison department found them negligent in the release of photographs in which Hanif Abbasi, the convicted PML-N leader in ephedrine smuggling case, could be seen sitting beside former PM Nawaz Sharif in the office of the jail superintendent.

The home department also directed the officials of the central jail to report to the directorate of prisons.

They were also told that they would be provided a copy of allegations leveled against them for initiating regular proceedings under Punjab Employees Efficiency, Discipline and Accountability Act 2006.

On the other hand, the home department posted Mansoor Akbar, a BS-18 officer, as the superintendent of the central jail Rawalpindi, Malik Liaquat Ali, a BS-17 officer, presently posted at Mianwali, was transferred to Rawalpindi as the deputy superintendent (executive) jail replacing Farrukh Rasheed.

Mohammad Akram, a BS-17 officer, posted as deputy superintendent (executive) Mianwali jail has been given the additional charge of the post of superintendent Mianwali jail.

The two members investigation team, comprising Deputy Inspector General of Prisons Multan Region Malik Shaukat and Additional Inspector General Judicial (AIG) Malik Safdar, was formed by the Inspector General of Prisons Punjab Shahid Saleem Baig on Thursday.

The inquiry committee submitted its report to the IG Prisons on Monday.

However, all of the individuals seen in the pictures denied in the report that they had been carrying any camera or taken pictures.

The committee was also tasked to find out how a camera was taken into the office of the jail superintendent and who was carrying it.

Soon after the investigation was started, Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) leader Hanif Abbasi, who had been serving life imprisonment in ephedrine smuggling case in Adiala jail, was shifted to Attock jail early on Saturday morning.

Two pictures, which went viral on social media, showed former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, his brother Shahbaz Sharif, former adviser to PM on aviation Sardar Mehtab Khan and Raheel Munir standing in the office of the superintendent jail.

In the second picture, imprisoned former MNA Hanif Abbasi was seen sitting with PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif and PML-N former MNA Malik Ibrar, while the former deputy speaker Murtaza Javaid Abbasi was also sitting with them.

The DIG Prisons Rawalpindi region Naveed Rauf could also be seen sitting on the chair of the superintendent jail and talking to Nawaz Sharif and others.

Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2018