KARACHI: All inmates, including an accused charged with murder of former managing director of erstwhile Karachi Electric Supply Company Shahid Hamid, detained in the Karachi central prison are being screened for Covid-19 after some prisoners were found infected with coronavirus, an antiterrorism court was informed on Tuesday.

This was disclosed in a letter submitted by the prison superintendent to the ATC-III, which had issued the production order for accused Mohammad Minhaj Qazi and Mehboob Ghufran, alias Atar.

Both the accused have been charged with murder of the then KESC MD Shahid Hamid in Defence Housing Authority in July 1997.

The city’s penitentiary is said to be housing some 3,500 inmates against the sanctioned capacity of around 2,400.

In the letter, the prison superintendent informed that in response to the court’s production order the custody of the accused Minhaj could not be shifted from prison, where some inmates had been declared positive for coronavirus by doctors at the Indus Hospital and the District Health Officer, East.

Therefore, the testing process of all prisoners is under way, the prison chief mentioned and excused for not shifting the custody of Minhaj Qazi.

In another letter, the superintendent of the district jail, Malir, also informed that the accused Mehboob Ghufran could not be produced before the court following spread of the deadly virus.

The judge directed the superintendents of both the prisons to ensure production of the two accused on the next date and fixed the matter on July 4.

The judge also repeated notice to the investigating officer of the case, Sarwar Khan, directing the SSP concerned to ensure his presence before the court on the next date.

Published in Dawn, June 24th, 2020

Opinion

Editorial

A bloody year
07 Oct, 2024

A bloody year

A YEAR after Hamas and other Palestinian fighters launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, the Middle East stands...
Bleak cotton outlook
07 Oct, 2024

Bleak cotton outlook

THE extremely slow arrival of phutti at the ginning factories of Punjab and Sindh so far indicate a huge drop in the...
Killjoy neighbours
07 Oct, 2024

Killjoy neighbours

AT the worst of times in their bilateral relations, India and Pakistan have not shied away from carrying out direct...
Peak of success
06 Oct, 2024

Peak of success

IT started with the ascent of Nanga Parbat in 2017 and ended with the summit of Tibet’s Shishapangma on Thursday....
Indian visitor
06 Oct, 2024

Indian visitor

AMONGST the host of foreign dignitaries expected to fly into Islamabad for the SCO Council of Heads of Government...
Violence once again
Updated 06 Oct, 2024

Violence once again

The warring sides must rein in their worst impulses and prioritise the nation’s well-being over short-term gains.