Court summons report on COVID-19 positive prisoners in Islamabad

By Muhammad YaseenPublished On 06 Jan 2023

The Islamabad High Court summoned on Friday a report on the condition of the prisoners who have contracted the novel coronavirus while hearing a case on the virus preventive measures.

Chief Justice Athar Minallah asked the authorities what measures have been taken for the protection of prisoners who are kept at the lockup inside police stations. “Do you make sure they practice social distancing and provide them with masks?” The government has to provide this facility to the prisoners, he added.

An ASP told the court that they have provided all the required facilities to the suspects. “We don’t even take them to courts because of the coronavirus,” he said.

“You do know that you have to present suspects in court 24 hours after arresting them?” the judge asked. “We have been doing so in only important cases,” the police officer replied.

The case has been adjourned for a week.

Pakistani prisons and jails are frequently beset by shoddy health and hygiene conditions along with overcrowding making the facilities a potential flashpoint for the highly contagious coronavirus.

According to a 2019 government report, there are more than 70,000 people currently incarcerated in 114 different facilities across Pakistan, many of which are stretched beyond their intended capacity.