RAWALPINDI: After the special court set up under the Official Secrets Act sentenced former prime minister Imran Khan and ex-foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi to 10 years imprisonment for the breach of state secrets, the status of the two political leaders has been changed from under-trial “accused” to prisoners.

According to a senior official, the two PTI leaders will be treated as “prisoners” after being convicted and sentenced; however, they will be allowed to use civil dresses in the jail.

He said according to rules, the name of every convicted prisoner is entered serially in the admission register. The serial number of this register pertaining to him will be his admission number and will be used along with his name and classification in all future references in official correspondence about him.

After the two PTI leaders were sentenced, the admission number of the two will also be entered serially in the admission register by the assistant superintendent, in-charge of the admission register.

On Wednesday, in another development, the former prime minister and his wife Bushra Bibi were sentenced to 14 years in jail in the Toshakhana case.

The security for the convicted PTI founder was increased inside the jail. According to jail rules, one prisoner (mushakti) is kept with such a prisoner who is already with Mr Khan. However, no other change will take place.

Every prisoner’s name shall be written up in the admission register by the assistant superintendent in-charge of admission and shall also be examined by a medical officer (MO) or their junior within 24 hours of his admission into the prison.

The MO will examine every prisoner and enter in the admission register their age, height, weight and the state of health.

Meanwhile, after a threatening phone call was received by the Adiala Jail authorities on Tuesday, the security around the maximum security prison was further tightened with deployment/patrolling of Elite Force commandos around the premises.

According to sources, Deputy Inspector General Prisons Rawalpindi Region Abdul Rauf Rana has also sent a letter to City Police Officer (CPO) Rawalpindi Syed Khalid Hamdani to beef up security around the jail.

The unknown caller said he was speaking from Afghanistan and Adiala jail would be bombed in three days. No phone number was displayed on the CLI of the jail phone, said the sources.

The same day five terrorists tried to target the Mach jail of Balochistan, which was foiled by the security forces. To avoid any untoward situation, the security should be increased and search and combing operations should be conducted in the area around the jail.

On receiving the information from the jail administration, the police have increased the security level from high alert to red alert and special police checkpoints have been set up at eight different places around the jail.

As part of the tightened security, five sections of the Elite Force have been deployed and they are continuously patrolling around the jail.

It may be remembered that besides the PTI founder and former foreign minister, former interior minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, ex-information minister Fawad Chaudhry and former Punjab chief minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi are also languishing in the Adiala jail.

A statement issued by a spokesperson for the Rawalpindi police said in view of the recent situation in the country, the external security of Adiala Jail had been increased.

More security personnel have been deployed at the front, rear and sides of the jail and all measures have been taken to make patrolling and security foolproof on the sides.

Law enforcement agencies are also being consulted. Moreover, senior officers are reviewing the security arrangements from time to time, it said.

Published in Dawn, February 1st, 2024

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