QUETTA: Parliamentary Secretary for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Dr. Rubaba Khan Buledi on Tuesday said as per guidelines of the Federal Shariat Court, under the revised prison rules, blood screening of every prisoner before entering the jail had been made mandatory.
“There are testing laboratories in two jails of Balochistan including Quetta and Machh, however, laboratories are yet to be set up in 9 other jails of the province,” said Dr Buledi while talking to Inspector General Jail Malik Shuja Hussain Kasi
She deplored that the old prison laws needed to be changed in line with the latest requirement as Bangali is included but Balochi and Brahui languages are not included in the curriculum in the Jail Manual.
“In 90% of the countries of the world, the old concept of prisons and barracks has been replaced by institutions of social reform and moral correctness under the human rights and justice system in which prisoners are imparted skills,” she noted.
According to the demand, they are taught skills which significantly improve their economic conditions and they prove to be useful members of the society.
About reforms in the prisons, she stressed that “There is a need for time to separate the prisons from the administrative departments and make them functional in terms of human rights and justice system so that the concept of prisons is not only imprisonment but also reform of individuals,”
The parliamentary secretary said that the Federal Ministry of Anti- Narcotics would be contacted for setting up special centers for treatment and rehabilitation of drug addicts in different jails of the province including Gadani Jail.
“We will try our best to establish a rehabilitation center in Quetta on the pattern of ANF-run hospitals in Maripur Karachi,”
Dr. Rababa noted that after consulting CM Balochistan, an early release of an annual medicine grant from the Health Department for Balochistan prisons will be ensured.
“We will try to restore the budget cut in medicine grant due to Covid in prisons,” she said adding it would be enhanced from 3 million per annum to 7 million per annum as per the old schedule.
IG Jail Shuja Kasi on the occasion apprised the parliamentary secretary that measures were afoot to provide basic facilities in all 11 jails of the province,
Four posts of Psychiatrist have been created for their counseling of the prisoners; In addition, skill training centers are being activated in the jails.
Dr Rubaba while expressing satisfaction assured IG Jail all possible cooperation in the legislation required for jail reforms.