LAHORE: Overcrowding and corruption complaints are on the rise in the two jails of Lahore whose population and crime rates are multiplying by the day.

The Punjab Home Department looks indifferent towards the plight of the prisoners in the overpopulated jails of Lahore, ignoring the fact that the largest city of the province has only two prisons that have become ‘dens of corruption and bribe’.

The number of inmates in both jails — district and central jails — has increased far more than the authorised accommodation while the living conditions in them have deteriorated, particularly after the jail authorities allegedly increased the bribe rates to offer ‘elaborated facilities to the disgruntled inmates,’ an official, privy to the situation, has told Dawn.

In the last one year, he says, the population of both districts increased by 10 to 20pc due to the crime surge in Lahore. The annual registered crime of the city reached from 125,000 in December 2020 to 250,000 in December 2021.

During the last two months, the source claims, the inmates and their relatives have filed over 700 complaints against corruption in both jails.

The complaints go unreported as the senior officers, including the Punjab prisons inspector general, are the least bothered to protect prisoners’ rights, the official alleges.

Inmates, families file 700 complaints against bribe in two months

The first District Jail of Lahore was constructed on the Ferozepur Road between Ichhra and Mozang on the 32 acre land in 1930. In January this year, according to the official, the number of inmates in the District Jail reached 2,895 against the authorised accommodation, forcing over 80pc ‘excessive population’ to live in very unhygienic conditions.

The other prison – Central Jail, known as ‘Kot Lakhpat Jail’ – was constructed in 1965 and it houses nearly 4,000 inmates, four times more than its original capacity of 1,053. Since 1965, no new jail has been constructed in the city.

The official says the Human Rights Commission Pakistan (HRCP) has been raising the issue of overcrowded prisons, particularly in Punjab, to attract the attention of the authorities concerned but in vain.

The jail authorities force the prisoners and their families to pay more to get required facilities, he alleges and adds that inmates and their families are asked to grease officials’ palms.

The official alleges that the staff of these jails charges the families of the inmates for meetings. The rates for a meeting in a separate room are more than those charged for a ‘routine meeting’, he says, adding that the jail authorities separately demand bribe for mobile phone calls.

The bribe rates differ according to the offence and ‘living standards’ of the prisoners. There are also complaints that the jail staff deducts a percentage from the money the families send to inmates and the same is the case with other goods or food.

The official says the focus of the authorities has been the ‘select jails’ of other districts where they take action against corruption.

In May last year, a Punjab Home department ‘internal source’ had exposed Rs8m to Rs9m monthly corruption in the Sahiwal Central Jail.

The report was prepared by an ‘unidentified internal source’ of the home department who personally visited the Sahiwal jail in the guise of a visitor. However, the officials of the two jails of Lahore escape action as they are stated to be more powerful and influential than those of other districts.

Punjab Prisons IG Mirza Shahid Saleem Baig has clarified his department’s position, saying it is introducing a revolutionary scheme to end complaints of corruption in jails.

“We are going to introduce a mega scheme that would slap a complete ban on collecting money from the relatives of the prisoners at the gates,” he claims, adding that all the jails will be completely screened and no inmate will be allowed to keep money in pockets.

Mr Baig adds that a delivery counter is being set up at the canteen of each jail where the transactions will be made by the relatives of the prisoners through bank accounts.

Other similar steps are also being taken and construction of a prisons complex near Kahna was proposed some six years back under which four independent jails will be constructed for women, juvenile and adult prisoners.

A summary is pending before Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, Mr Baig says.

Published in Dawn, March 3rd, 2022