ISLAMABAD: The parliamentary panel, on Thursday, decided to visit Adiala jail on January 8 to assess the human rights situation of the inmates on ground in Rawalpindi’s Central Prison.
The National Assembly Standing Committee on Human Rights which met with Chairman Sahibzada Hamid Raza in the chair announced the decision, saying a letter has been dispatched to the Speaker to seek approval and making arrangements for the visit.
Sahibzada Hamid Raza said that the speaker may change the date if the National Assembly was in session on the corresponding date. The delegation also plans to visit other jails across the country to improve detention conditions nationwide.
The HR Committee has also expressed grave concern over the events that emerged on November 26 during the PTI protest in Islamabad’s D-Chowk. The committee decided to summon the Inspector General (IG) and the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Islamabad Police to its next meeting of the committee for a comprehensive briefing on the violent incident.
The committee also took notice of alleged incidents of ill-treatment of parliamentarians outside Adiala Jail in November 2024, where Hamid Raza, Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Omar Ayub, and Opposition Leader in the Senate Shibli Faraz were reportedly taken into custody.
The chairman of the committee vociferously said that manhandling of public representatives will not be tolerated at any cost, and will hold accountable all those responsible. The HR Committee also summoned the officials of Punjab Home Ministry to submit a detailed report on the incident.
Committee member, Zartaj Gul suggested that journalists covering human rights issues should also be part of the visit. She expressed concern if the government does not allow the committee to visit jail; it might indicate that something is being concealed.
The committee further criticised the Ministry of Human Rights for its poor performance, particularly, in safeguarding the rights of citizens. It directed the ministry to improve coordination with the Ministry of Interior to address these issues effectively. The matter was deferred for further discussion in the next meeting.
The meeting was attended by prominent MNAs, including Mohammad Hanif Abbasi, Zeb Jaffar, Syeda Nosheen Iftikhar, Sabheen Ghoury, Mohammad Riaz Fatyana, Gohar Ali Khan, Zartaj Gul (via video link), Dr Nelson Azeem, Sehar Kamran, Wajiha Qamar, Shahida Rehmani, and Sharmila Faruqui.
The committee expressed grave concern over the rapid growth of child begging, child abuse and increase of drugs in private and government educational institutions and directed that the Ministry of Human Rights and National Commission on the Rights of Child (NCRC) may take effective measures to curb these social evils.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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