PESHAWAR, July 7: On the orders of the Chief Justice of Peshawar High Court, Justice Tariq Pervez Khan, a meeting was held at the office of the court registrar on Saturday to discuss shortcomings in the management of different prisons in the province.

According to a press release issued here, the meeting was chaired by the registrar, Syed Musaddiq Hussain Gilani, and attended by members of the court’s inspection team, Zafar Iqbal Khan and Ihsanullah Khan Mehsud.

NWFP’s Inspector-General of prisons Fazlur Rehman, Additional Home Secretary Aftab Durrani, Director-General of Health Department Dr Sajid, Superintendent of the Peshawar Central Prison, Masoodur Rehman and Section Officer (prison) Inayatullah Khan also attended the meeting.

The meeting was convened as a follow-up exercise to the surprise visit of the Chief Justice to the Central Prison, Peshawar, who visited it in his capacity as the acting governor of the NWFP.

The meeting discussed the affairs of jails in the province with particular reference to problems and hardships encountered by prisoners.

Mr Gilani said that the chief justice wanted to improve the conditions of prisons throughout the province.

Other points discussed by the meeting included the problem of accommodation in prisons as most jails were overcrowded, non-availability of borstal houses in prisons, non-availability of medicines and paramedical staff in most prisons, health and safety hazards posed by dilapidated conditions of jail buildings, easy availability of narcotics inside jails and other related issues.

Government departments concerned were ordered to take immediate remedial measures with respect to the problems and shortcomings pointed out by the chief justice.