IHC directs human rights ministry to prepare report on death of under: custody, condemned prisoners.

ISLAMABAD -- The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has directed the federal ministry of human rights to prepare a report about the death of under: custody and condemned prisoners.

A single bench of IHC comprising Chief Justice of IHC Justice Athar Minallah issued these directions while hearing the identical applications of two prisoners.

The IHC bench also directed the ministry to apprise the court about the condition of the inmates especially those suffering from life: threatening diseases and whether they were given proper medical treatment or not.

During the hearing, Justice Athar observed that influential inmates got better treatment while common prisoners could not get even basic facilities. He remarked that when a prisoner approached the court and complained about the lack of basic facilities it meant the government was not doing its job.

The judge advised the ministry to prepare a policy for providing medical treatment to seriously ill prisoners, adding that it was also in conformity with the teachings of Islam. He asked the jail authorities if any probe was carried out in case of death of an inmate. At this, the jail authorities said that the district and sessions judge concerned assigned the inquiry to a judicial magistrate over such an incident. The doctor serving at Adiala Jail informed the bench that he had dealt with five cases and they were given the treatment in accordance with prison rules.

Justice Athar directed the jail authorities that in case a prisoner filed an application it should be forwarded to the commission constituted by the IHC.

The IHC bench directed the ministry to notify the commission to examine the state of civil liberties for prisoners.

It was November 30 when the ministry had submitted the notification of the commission headed by Human Rights Minister Dr Shireen Mazari while secretaries to the ministries of human rights, health and interior, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan's ex...