PESHAWAR, June 6: Peshawar district and sessions judge Shahjehan Akhunzada has expressed concern that a lady doctor has not been appointed for the women’s section of central prison during the last two years. The district judge visited the central prison a few days ago and prepared a detailed report on the plight of prisoners.

In his report, the judge pointed out that the overall situation in the female barracks was satisfactory. He added that the post of lady doctor had been lying vacant for the last two years.

“The presence of a lady doctor in this section is essential because most of the female convicts and under-trial prisoners have small kids and suckling babies with them who need special attention,” the judge observed and asked the provincial government to fill up the post as soon as possible.

The judge highlighted the case of Noor Bibi, wife of Amjid, involved in a case of drug-pushing. The woman is having a minor child with her who has been suffering from blood cancer. The judge directed that the challan (charge sheet) of her case be put before the court concerned at the earliest.

Mr Akhunzada also expressed concern over the accommodation facilities available to prisoners. He observed that at present the central prison could hardly accommodate 850 prisoners, whereas the total strength of prisoners was 2263.

Of them, 608 male and 29 female prisoners have been sentenced to rigorous imprisonment; 24 males have been sentenced to simple imprisonment; 69 male prisoners have been sentenced to death; 1431 males and 46 females are under-trial prisoners while 10 male prisoners have been detained under section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance.

Mr Akhunzada also visited the cells of condemned prisoners. He observed that there were 28 cells for condemned prisoners in which 68 prisoners had been lodged. “In some of the cells even four convicts had been lodged together. The available cells are totally insufficient to accommodate such large number of condemned prisoners, so the provincial government may be asked to build cells, complete with all civic facilities, for condemned prisoners,” the report says.

The judge inspected the prison’s kitchen and observed that it was clean and the weight of breads prepared for prisoners was found according to the prescribed standard.

Some foreign nationals jailed on various counts complained to the judge that they had completed their term but had not yet been deported to their native countries.

The judge directed the prison authorities to approach the provincial government for making necessary arrangements for their early deportation.