Prisoners' rejoicing
Prime Minister Imran Khan has recently directed the relevant authorities to prepare for the early release of jail inmates who do not often have a reason to collectively rejoice. The humane decision by the federal government will benefit under-trial women and those who continue to remain behind bars only because they are unable to pay petty fines.
The PM said the government would pay the fines outstanding against female prisoners whose remaining sentences are less than three years so they could be released immediately. It appears that his directive also extends to the release of juvenile prisoners behind bars for minor crimes.
The prime minister's words constitute a movement towards compliance with a Supreme Court ruling in April which ordered the government to set free inmates suffering from mental or physical illness, under-trial inmates 55 years or older, male under-trial prisoners without any past convictions, and women and juvenile prisoners. The measure also brings us a little closer to our international human rights obligations.
A civilised society is that which respects the inviolable dignity of man, even of individuals incarcerated for heinous crimes. By that measure, Pakistan scores very poorly. A number of studies have delved into the abominable conditions inside the country's jails. Most recently, a commission set up late last year by the Islamabad High Court to look into the violation of human rights violations in the prison system uncovered a plethora of disturbing facts.
Those behind bars find themselves subject to daily indignities and deprivations that constitute no less than a subhuman existence. According to the commission's report, which it submitted to the IHC in January this year, more than 5,000 out of a total of 73,661 prisoners were afflicted with some form of disease: 2,100 suffered from physical ailments, while nearly 2,400 were infected with contagious diseases such as HIV, hepatitis and tuberculosis. Additionally, around 600 prisoners suffer from psychological disorders. Shockingly, almost 50pc of the medical jail staff posts were lying vacant, and there was a shortage of appropriate medical equipment and laboratories.
An earlier report, presented to the Supreme Court in November 2019, allows a fuller picture to emerge, one that is both horrific and heartbreaking. According to its findings, 77,275 prisoners are held in 114 jails across Pakistan - well beyond their capacity of 57,742 inmates. Research suggests that intolerably overcrowded living conditions can be a catalyst for aggression and antisocial behaviour that may persist even after prisoners are released into society.
Worse, a vast majority of these individuals are undertrials, caught in a shambolic system where the judicial process often takes years to complete. Even for those who are found innocent, their lives are irrevocably altered by their ordeal. It is heartening that there seems to finally be a momentum in favour of prison reform.