QUETTA: Balochistan’s parliamentary secretary for law and parliamentary affairs, Rubaba Buledi, said on Tuesday that the provincial government had conveyed its opinion to the federal law ministry for setting up a medical board on divisional level to assess psychological inmates.

She said this while talking to Balochistan’s inspector general of prisons, Malik Shujauddin Kasi, who called on her at the office of the law department in Quetta.

Ms Buledi said that under Pakistan Prisons Rules, 1978, the federal Ministry of Law and Justice had sought an opinion from all provinces on the assessment of mentally ill patients at jails by divisional medical board instead of a single doctor.

“A written opinion had been sought from the provinces and comprehensive recommendations and reply on the subject matter have been prepared and sent on behalf of the Balochistan government,” she said.

Ms Buledi added that some prisoners were involved in serious crimes, but their relatives claimed they had committed the offence because they were mentally ill.

The Supreme Court in its judgements has suggested replacing the process of medical certification with a board consisting of medical experts instead of a single general doctor.

As the prison rules apply to all four provinces, the federal law ministry has asked them for opinion to improve the rules.

Following the directives of the apex court, a comprehensive reply with written proposals has been prepared and sent by the Balochistan government to the Ministry of Law and Justice.

Published in Dawn, February 22th, 2023