LAHORE: The recent reshuffling of senior officers in Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi, in the light of a Punjab police's Special Branch report is just eyewash by the Punjab government as no official has so far been punished (suspended) or put on trial, well-informed sources in the Punjab Prisons told Business Recorder on Monday.
On Sunday, the Punjab government had directed Adiala Jail Superintendent Saqib Nazir Chaudhry to report to the Inspectorate General of Punjab Prisons and replaced him with Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Asghar Ali (BS-18). Similarly, Assistant Superintendent Jail (ASJ) Zeeshan Sarwar Cheema was transferred and posted in Central Jail Gujranwala while Chief Head Warder Mohammad Hussain and Head Warders Amir Faraz, Khalid Pervaiz and other five warders were also transferred and posted in other prisons.
The fact-finding team of the special branch in its report held two officials - Zeeshan Cheema and Muhammad Hussain - responsible for making the atmosphere of Adiala Jail miserable by adopting corrupt practices with a well-knitted nexus of inmates and other jail staff. "Two officials of the Central Jail, Adiala, are involved in different acts of omission and commission and have made the life of inmates difficult. They include Zeeshan Cheema, Central Watch Tower In-charge, and his patron Muhammad Hussain, Chief Chakkar," the report reads, a copy of which is available with this scribe.
It says according to the jail manual, a prisoner maintains an account in jail and his/her relatives can deposit an amount of up to Rs 10,000 in it. However, prisoners are paid Rs 2,000-3,000 less than their actual amounts. A prisoner can use this amount to purchase food and other essential items from the jail canteen, it adds.
The report points out that a canteen was established in barrack No 4/1 to facilitate the prisoners but essential commodities are being sold at very high rates. "For example, a pack of ghee/cooking oil is being sold at the rate of Rs 300-400 in the canteen against the market price of Rs 200. Similarly, vegetables are also (being) sold at exorbitant prices and if a prisoner raises any objection against the high prices, he is advised to purchase items from somewhere else," it reads.
"On selling of items worth Rs 800,000, the canteen runner (a prisoner) earns a hefty amount of Rs 400,000 out of which Rs 8,000 is paid to the "Chakkar In-charge" on daily basis and prisoners are compelled to shop from the canteen," the report reveals.
In addition, one Khalid involved in dacoity cases in Karachi sells narcotics in the jail under the protection of former ASJ Zeeshan Cheema. Besides, inmates gamble in Barrack No 5 under the protection of prisoners Faisal and Bhutto, the confidants of Muhammad Hussain, now former chief head warder, and Rs 1000 are paid daily to him.
The report asserted that Muhammad Hussain was suspended in 2019 on the allegation of committing sodomy with a boy named Taimoor but he was reinstated later.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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