LARKANA, Dec 31: Three more jails will be established in Ghotki, Naushahro Feroze and Mirpurkhas to ease the problem of overcrowding in jails in the province.

This was stated by the Sindh IGP, prisons, Ayaz Mugni, while talking to journalists here on Friday.

He said there were 20 jails in the province which housed over 20,000 prisoners against the capacity of 9,000.

He said that under the first phase of the Annual Development Programme, work on the Mirpurkhas jail had been started.

Mr Mugni also hinted at establishing two more jails in Umerkot and Thatta and constructing additional barracks in the existing jails to overcome the problem of overcrowding.

He said that under a directive of the president, a ‘high security jail’ would be constructed in each province, planning for which was underway in Sindh.

He said the Sindh government had not allocated funds for new jails in newly-created districts.

Replying to a question about an inquiry into a bomb blast incident in the Sukkur Central Prison, he said a decision in the matter would be made public after the chemical examination report was received.

Regarding recent search operations in Sukkur and Khairpur Mirs jails, he said that three policemen had been included in the inquiry. More policemen, even from high ranks, could also be included in the inquiry, he added.

About health facilities in jails, Mr Mugni said his department had recommended to the Sindh government to double the health budget for prisons and the matter was lying with the finance department.

He said that a programme would soon be launched in prisons for HIV/AIDS patients and drug addicts.

About the shortage of security staff in prisons, he said that soon after the ban on recruitment was lifted, police and other required staff would be recruited. He said a file was pending with the Sindh chief minister in this regard.

Answering a question, he said jail authorities were facing problems to produce prisoners in courts because of shortage of prison vans. He added that the matter had been taken up with the quarters concerned.

Responding to another question, he said the “underworld” was not handling affairs of the Karachi Central Prison and added that there was 95 per cent court production in Karachi jails.

AI: Secretary general of the Amnesty International, Mr Iqbal Detho, has called for joint struggle against child trafficking.

He was speaking at a seminar ‘safeguarding the child rights’ held under the auspices of Child Rights Committee (CRC), Larkana, on Saturday.

Mr Detho asked lawyers, journalists and human rights activists to work together against the trafficking of children.

He said that child trafficking was common in the Seraiki belt and Larkana, Shikarpur and Sukkur districts of Sindh.

He said children were taken to the UAE to work as camel jockeys.

He urged the government to implement the Child Rights Convention and Juvenile Justice System Ordinance-2202 to protect children from molestation in jails.

Former president of the District Bar Association, Safdar Ali Bhutto, criticized police for using third degree methods against children to get information.

Siddik Buriro, provincial coordinator of the Sindh SPARC, said that 856 children were in different jails of Sindh at present.

ARRESTED: The Larkana police on Saturday arrested three central leaders of the Sindh Employees Alliance (SEA) from a meeting in progress at the irrigation department.

The arrested leaders were Peeral Dayo, Manzoor Aheer and Imdad Buledi. They were kept at the Waleed police station.

Spokesman of the SEA Sabir Soomro said some members of the alliance had gone to meet the district coordination officer of Larkana to apprise him about the transfer of Imdad Buledi.

But the DCO refused to take the transfer orders back, the spokesman alleged.

While they were holding a meeting in the irrigation department, a heavy contingent of police encircled the office and picked three leaders of the SEA.The spokesman demanded immediate release of the leaders.