LAHORE: The Punjab government has suspended Mianwali district jail superintendent from service for 90 days on corruption complaints lodged by the prisoners and blacklisted seven other jail officials on the same charges.

The action was initiated against Malik Liaqat and other officials on the directions of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz following multiple complaints against them.

An official said Mr Liaqat, who was originally serving as the superintendent of Faisalabad jail, was holding additional charge of the post of Mianwali district jail superintendent.

Seven other officials blacklisted

The official said prisoners complained to the chief minister during her visit to Mianwali jail that Mr Liaqat was receiving from Rs200,000 to Rs500,000 bribe from the inmates for providing them different facilities.

The official said the CM was told that the jail officials were demanding bribe to arrange ‘special meetings’ of prisoners with their families, and also from those released by the courts.

Following the chief minister’s orders, the home department removed Mr Liaqat from the post and placed him under suspension for 90 days, directing him to report to the Punjab Inspectorate of Prisons.

While issuing a notification in this respect, the department assigned the additional charge of Mianwali jail to Deputy Superintendent (development) Suhail Safdar Khan of the same district.

The official rejected the reports that action against Mr Liaqat was taken allegedly for being lenient to the PTI inmates jailed in connection with the May 9 cases in Mianwali jail, saying that a majority of such prisoners were in Adyala and other district jails.

About the other penalised jail officials, he said, the home department blacklisted five superintendents and two deputy superintendents for the rest of their respective services over serious complaints of corruption, misconduct, inefficiency and negligence.

According to the laid down policy, the blacklisted officials would be banned to hold executive positions and only assigned duties in the training or other such wings of the department, the official added.

Published in Dawn, August 10th, 2024