INP
\nISLAMABAD
\nProviding medical treatment to jail inmates is responsibility of the government, Chief Justice Islamabad High Court (IHC) remarked while hearing a petition of Adiala Jail prisoner for treatment on Saturday.
\nChief Justice Athar Minallah hearing a petition observed,\u201d The state has lesser responsibility when a person is free, but when a person is imprisoned the state have maximum responsibility to extend medical treatment without any delay.\u201d
\nA death-row convict, Khadim Hussain had written a letter to IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah who had converted it into a constitutional petition and sought a reply in this regard from the authorities concerned.
\nA representative of the Ministry of Human Rights appeared in the court hearing today.
\n\u201cYour representatives would be monitoring human rights issues (in jails),\u201d chief justice addressing ministry\u2019s official said.
\nThe jail administration has been asked for detailed medical checkup of the prisoners, the official replied.
\n\u201cIt is responsibility of the state if a person is in custody of the state,\u201d the bench remarked. \u201cA prisoner remains totally dependent on the state.\u201d
\n\u201cIf a prisoner dies do you conduct an inquiry,\u201d the bench asked the official. \u201cYes, an inquiry conducted when someone dies in prison,\u201d the official replied.
\n\u201cIf any inquiry commission held the government responsible for a death,\u201d the bench asked. \u201cA commission didn\u2019t hold responsible to anyone,\u201d the official said.
\n\u201cThen what kind of inquiry conducted by your commission,\u201d the court questioned.
\n\u201cInfluential persons get facilities, while the poor even deprived of basic facilities in a prison,\u201d the bench observed.
\n\u201cLaws exist, only enforcement is needed,\u201d the court remarked. The laws grant the state authority to release an ailing prisoner and the state could commute the sentence of anyone according to rules,\u201d Justice Athar Minallah said.
\n\u201cThe state should work but it is not doing so,\u201d the top judge remarked. \u201cIf a prisoner is knocking the door of the court, it means the state is negligent of its responsibility,\u201d Justice Minallah further remarked.
\nThe petitions from jail will now be directed towards the commission, the judge said.
\nThe bench adjourned further hearing of the case till January 18.
\nIn an earlier hearing, Justice Minallah ordered the federal government to submit a report on the prisoners in jails of all provinces.
\nThe court had also formed a commission headed by Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari, to inquire into human rights violations in jails.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
INP ISLAMABAD Providing medical treatment to jail inmates is responsibility of the government, Chief Justice Islamabad High Court (IHC) remarked while hearing a petition of Adiala Jail prisoner for treatment on Saturday. Chief Justice Athar Minallah hearing a petition observed,\u201d The state has lesser responsibility when a person is free, but when a person is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-97406","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-national"},"yoast_head":"\n