LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar has informed Punjab Inspector General for Prisons Mirza Shahid Saleem Baig with regret that many assistant and deputy superintendents of jails were not attending lockout and lockup procedure for inmates properly.

A reliable source told Business Recorder on Monday that the chief minister conveyed his concerns to Punjab Prisons IG Mirza Shahid Baig during a one-on-one meeting held recently after Buzdar carried out surprise visits of some jails and observed grave negligence on the part of senior jail officials.

While suspending some officers on the spot, the source said the CM directed Shahid to put in place appropriate checks and take strict actions against the negligent officers. Accordingly, the IG prisons issued a fresh order a few days ago which stated that the competent authority has taken a serious notice of non-professional attitude of the jail officials.

As per the order, a copy of which is available with Business Recorder, the concerned jail superintendents for now on would monitor the presence of assistant and deputy superintendents of jails during the lockout and lockup of inmates through CCTV camera recordings.

"All the ASJs and DSJs shall attend the lockout and lockup process as per Pakistan Prisons Rules (PPR)," the order said, adding that the deputy superintendents (E) shall also pay visits at least four times in a week to check security of their respective jails to ensure safety of inmates.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021