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It is so punctual this prison bus that passes by my residence every day at 8 in the morning. At the appointed time there is a loud blaring of horns as the bus rushes past and reaches the anti-terrorism courts whose guards already warned of its arrival are holding the door open and it rushes in to offload its occupants brought from Central Prison Karachi to this far off location by the sea in Clifton.

Sometimes I see relatives and friends of the under-trial prisoners (UTPs) waiting outside the courts to catch a glimpse or exchange a few words with the accused.

Just after the barriers outside these courts are parked the visitors’ vehicles and those of the lawyers who too are present so early in the morning. Sometimes family members include women and children who sit on the footpath or on boulders the agony of separation and hope for reunion were written all over their faces.

To me these prisoners are strangers but I have also witnessed the arrival of former Prime Ministers who were brought here in armored vehicles which just like the prison buses must have been hell holes in the summers of Karachi.

In both cases the interned persons could be seen peering through the little slits that I presume are the only ventilators for the occupants. Eyes peering through the slits remind me of Oscar Wilde and his famous poem The Ballad of Reading Gaol.

A famous writer of his time Oscar Wilde was tried for what was considered indecency at the time but is now regarded as a major breakthrough in personal freedom. Wilde was found guilty and jailed for two years.

The experience - described in his poem “The Ballad of Reading Gaol” - broke his spirit. Wilde spent the last three years of his life wandering Europe in self-imposed exile, a shadow of his old self. So devastating is the experience of imprisonment that it breaks the best of men.

In that poem he describes the little that prisoners can see of the outside world: “that little tent of blue which prisoners call the sky”.

This also aptly describes what most prisoners being transported to and from the prisons in Karachi can probably see during their journey.

How are prisoners transported from the central jail Karachi to the concerned courts is also very interesting. There are two ways of transportation. The buses where prisoners are filled to capacity and pick-ups where armed guards sit with prisoners. These are provided by the local police as the prisons do not have their own transportation system. Sometimes not enough vehicles are available so there is a question of pick and choose.

The most important cases get the transportation opportunity while the lesser criminals who would probably be released after a few hearings are left behind as they are petty criminals or even innocent ones caught in incriminating circumstances.

No wonder that thousands of prisoners who could have attained their freedom are still languishing in jails. It was with these prisoners in mind that at a seminar organized by the then Provincial Ombudsman and presided over by their lordships that I had underscored the need for inducting law college final-year students as internees.

Just like in the medical profession. These could be entrusted with the task of reviewing these cases and submitting their decisions for their lordships’ approval. This would clear a huge backlog of cases and also test the knowledge and competence of the young men and women who at some time in their career would be dispensing justice in society. Right now all courts are overloaded as statistics show that the overall pendency at the start of 2021 before all the courts was 2.16m.

The prisoners transported by pick-ups can however get special treatment. Waiting relatives usually strike a deal with the accompanying police personnel and palms are greased so that on the way back from court the prisoner is driven to a convenient spot to get a hearty meal.

Together with the police personnel of course. This practice is not without its pitfalls and sometimes prisoners have duped the police and successfully fled custody.

The Central Prison Karachi was established in 1899 and has a capacity of 2,400 housed in 52 barracks. It is mostly overcrowded. The prisoners are packed in so tight that it is not easy for a prisoner to even change positions while sleeping.

The courts are full to capacity and under immense pressure. Someone needs to revamp the entire system so that justice is neither delayed nor denied. In the meantime maybe someone can improve the transportation system for prisoners so that they feel less like cattle on their way to seek justice.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022

Zia Ul Islam Zuberi

The writer is a well-known columnist

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Hafsa z Dec 18, 2022 04:02am
Very insightful article !
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