Tag: jail

  • CCTV camera points towards Khan’s open bathroom in prison cell, judge takes notice

    Additional District and Sessions Judge Shafqut Ullah Khan has termed former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s privacy concerns “genuine” regarding the presence of a CCTV camera around his toilet at Attock jail. Imran Khan had claimed that the camera breached his privacy, with the judge asserting in a report after an inspection of the prison facilities that the camera violated prison rules.

    Punjab Prisons Department, in response to Additional District and Sessions Judge Shafqut Ullah Khan’s report, stated that Khan is being provided with all the facilities in accordance with Pakistan Prison Rules, 1978.

    A new toilet with five feet high walls, a door, and toiletries have been constructed in his cell. The statement said Khan was also given a bed, pillow, mattress, table, chair, air cooler, exhaust fan, fruit, honey, dates, prayer mat, Holy Quran with English translation, several books for reading, a thermos with tea, newspapers and tissue papers.

    The statement further reads that five doctors have been appointed to provide medical facilities to Khan, “One doctor is present at all times on an eight-hour duty.” Special meals are given to Khan as per the doctor’s advice and with the approval of Punjab Inspector General of Prisons Mian Farooq Nazir. It further said the meals are served by a special team after a doctor’s inspection.

    The prisons department confirmed that Imran was allowed to meet his family on Tuesdays and lawyers on Thursdays.

    “CCTV cameras have been installed outside Imran Khan’s room for his and the jail’s security. More than 4,000 CCTV cameras have been installed not only in District Jail Attock but also in other jails of Punjab for security purposes,” the statement concluded.

    Caretaker Interior Minister Sarfaraz Bugti, while speaking on the Geo News show ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’, reassured the viewers that Imran Khan was allowed to meet visitors and provided facilities according to the prison class he had applied for. He said that the concerns raised in the inspection report, including those related to the CCTV camera, would be thoroughly investigated and addressed in accordance with the law.

    “We will ensure that all those facilities and class he (Imran) applied for and deserves as the ex-prime minister according to the law are provided to him. As far as I know, he has a bed and newspaper so the behavior with him will be according to whatever the law permits,” he said.

    Additional District and Sessions Judge Shafqut Ullah Khan visited Attock jail and compiled a report on 15 August, after his fortnightly inspection of the prison facilities, which was released on August 21. The report stated that Khan’s concern regarding the presence of CCTV cameras is genuine and is in violation of the prison rules 257 and 771.

    Rule 257 (Sanitary and bathing arrangements) of the Pakistan Prison Rules states: “Prisoners shall be granted adequate facilities for bathing and latrines, ensuring privacy.”

    Meanwhile, Rule 771 refers to “latrines,” specifying that “latrine floors should be elevated and frequently renewed. Each latrine must have a proper seat and partitions for the sake of privacy.”

    The judge further noted in his report that the superintendent of police present has provided assurance to address the grievance raised by the PTI chairman.

    The PTI’s official X (former Twitter) account tweeted in response to the report “Absolutely shameful how a national hero, former Prime Minister Imran Khan is being denied his fundamental human rights, and basic facilities he’s entitled to.”

  • Turkish journalist jailed fifth time

    Turkish journalist jailed fifth time

    Turkish investigative journalist Baris Pehlivan, who was ordered to return to prison by text message this month, was jailed on Tuesday for the fifth time in three years.

    The justice ministry informed him on August 2 via an SMS message that he had to surrender himself by August 15 to the prison in Silivi on the outskirts of Istanbul, where many of the government critics are held.

    Pehlivan’s latest book, “SS”, accuses former interior minister Suleyman Soylu of having links to organised crime.
    “Baris might be released on parole,” his lawyer Huseyin Ersoz told AFP. “A decision could be made at any time,” he said.
    A former editor in chief at Oda TV and contributor to daily newspaper Cumhuriyet, Pehlivan has already been imprisoned four times.
    Two of those incidents involved him spending a day behind bars — once in February and once in May.

    Pehlivan and six other journalists were sentenced to three years and nine months in prison in 2020 for reporting the funeral of a member of Turkey’s MIT secret services who was operating in Libya, where Ankara supports the UN-recognised Tripoli government.
    While his death has never been denied by the Turkish authorities, the reporters were charged with revealing “state secrets”.
    Pehlivan was recalled this time to serve eight months of the 2020 sentence for violating the country’s national intelligence laws.

    “People go to jail (in Turkey) just for writing the truth, just for doing journalism,” Pehlivan said before being sent to prison.
    “Mine is a drop in this ocean, in this big fight,” he said.

    Press freedom advocates last week condemned the “judicial harassment” of the journalist and urged the Turkish government to respect media freedom.
    Erol Onderoglu of Reporters Without Borders said Pehlivan was the 13th journalist to be jailed this year.
    “Arresting a reporter is an anachronistic attack on public opinion,” he commented on Twitter, recently rebranded as X.

    Turkey is ranked 165th out of 180 countries in the RSF’s latest press freedom index.

  • Court sentences man to jail for marrying without first wife’s consent

    Court sentences man to jail for marrying without first wife’s consent

    A man has been sentenced to jail by a court in Bahawalpur for marrying for a second time without the permission of his first wife, Geo News has reported.

    The Pakistani state observes a punishment of up-to a one year sentence and a fine for men that take up second wives without the written consent of their first wife.

    The first wife filed an application in the court against the second marriage of the husband. The family court of Bahawalpur sentenced him to six months in prison and fined him half a million rupees.

    While pronouncing the verdict, the court said that the accused will have to serve two more years of imprisonment if he fails to pay the fine.

  • Shireen Mazari bids farewell to PTI and politics

    Shireen Mazari bids farewell to PTI and politics

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senior Vice President Dr Shireen Mazari has announced that she is leaving the party and politics.

    During a short interaction with the media, the senior leader of the party unexpectedly called it quits, saying that she and her children went through a lot in the past few days because of her incarceration.

    She mentioned that her daughter, lawyer and activist Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir, went through a lot. The former minister also said that she is not in good health anymore.

    In the beginning of the presser, she pointedly condemned the violence on May 9 when supporters of PTI clashed with law enforcement agencies.

    “Not just May 9 and 10, but I have always condemned the violence on state symbols like GHQ, Parliament and Supreme Court,” she said.

    After the May 9 riots when PTI workers allegedly attacked military installations, many of the party’s senior leaders including Shireen were put in jail for inciting violence. Mazari was arrested several times in the past few days despite being given release orders by the court.

    Shireen also served as human rights minister during Imran Khan’s government till his ouster in April 2022. She joined the PTI in 2008 and since then has remained a vocal member of the party.

  • Ap ko tab jazbaati hona chahiye tha jab Nawaz Sharif ko nikala gaya, Maryam tells Chief Justice

    Ap ko tab jazbaati hona chahiye tha jab Nawaz Sharif ko nikala gaya, Maryam tells Chief Justice

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz, speaking at a lawyers’ convention, criticised Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial after the Supreme Court (SC) verdict of holding of Punjab polls on May 14.

    “I saw tickers on TV attributed to the CJP, that said that the chief justice got emotional during the hearing.”

    “He should have felt emotional when an elected prime minister [Nawaz Sharif] was ousted on the basis of an expired Iqama (work permit),” she said about the controversial decision that ousted her father from power.

    “An election won by Nawaz was handed over to Imran … why didn’t you get emotional then? Why didn’t you get emotional when your brother [judge] Justice Qazi Faez Isa was suffering?” Maryam asked.

    Regarding the verdict which was given by the three-member bench, she asked, “How can the CJP expect us to accept a decision that even his brother judges are not accepting it? He discluded the judges who had raised legal reservations and instead brought those judges who favoured him.”

    She also pointed out CJ’s remarks about parliamentarians. Bandial had said: “Today when you go to parliament, you find people addressing the parliament who were till yesterday in captivity, imprisoned, declared traitors. They are now talking over there, and being respected because they are representatives of the people.”

    “Instead of taunting Shehbaz Sharif and the entire government for going to jail, the CJP could have mentioned that those who went to jail were imprisoned due to fake cases,” she stated, recalling the number of cases registered against PML-N leaders and the times they appeared before courts.

    “Our leaders like Rana Sanaullah remained in jail for six months and they had a smile on their faces when they were freed. But Imran and his men are getting bail within two hours,” she criticised.

    She also gave an example of herself being in Adiala Jail for months.

    Addressing the CJP again, Maryam said: “You encouraged the man who violated the Constitution and now he is causing anarchy in the country.”

    She claimed that Imran and “his facilitators” have a plan in store, which Maryam claimed was to be executed by September before the new CJP takes charge.

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also criticised Bandial’s remarks and said that it is a matter of pride for him that he has been released by the high court on merit in false and fabricated cases.

    “It is our right under the Constitution to express our views in the parliament,” he said

    Earlier, supremo Nawaz Sharif urged the parliament to file a reference of misconduct against Chief Justice Bandial, Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Munib Akhtar who decided on the Punjab election date.

    Calling the verdict a reflection of a “one-man show” in the judiciary, Nawaz argued that one individual should not be allowed to hold multiple functions, such as the prime minister, defence minister, Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), and above all, parliament.

  • After Imran Khan, Maryam Nawaz too recommends ‘The Forty Rules of Love’

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz has revealed her favourite books, writers, poets and thinkers in a recent interview.

    In an interview with a web channel, Maryam Nawaz said that her favourite reading genre is Fiction and History. She went on to name her favourite writers who’s books she enjoyed reading while she was incarcerated.

    “A few fiction writers are close to reality; I read them a lot, like Paulo Coelho. I really like his Alchemist and Warrior of Light. Elif Shafak is another writer whom I enjoy reading. One of my most favourite books is The Forty Rules of Love. There is a book called, The Seat of the Soul and Twilight in Delhi; I have really enjoyed reading them,” said Maryam.

    She stated that she preferred books with a historical background.

    Moving on to poetry, Maryam said she loves reading the work of Irish poet Seamus Heaney, especially his work on freedom. Recalling her time in jail, Maryam said that was the first time she could read Urdu novels and poetry.

    “One has a lot of time in jail, so I miss how I used to read there. I read the work of Ahmad Faraz, Sahir Ludhianvi, Parveen Shakir and Amjad Islam Amjad. Apart from this, I have enjoyed reading the work of thinkers and even implemented their philosophies in my life. I have really enjoyed the work of Francis Bacon and Friedrich Nietzsche.”

  • Member National Assembly Ali Wazir finally released from prison after more than two years

    Member National Assembly Ali Wazir finally released from prison after more than two years

    Member of National Assembly (MNA) and Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) leader Ali Wazir has been released from Central Jail Karachi today (Tuesday) after more than two years behind bars.

    Wazir was transferred to Central Jail Karachi on 31 December 2020 on sedition charges for delivering hate speeches.

    In November, Peshawar High Court’s Bannu Bench granted bail to Wazir in one sedition case.

    Earlier, Wazir also claimed that his life was in danger. He was admitted to Karachi’s Jinnah Postgraduate and Medical Centre, where he claimed that he was attacked twice.

  • ‘Jail Bharo Tehreek’: Khan asks workers and supporters to prepare for new movement

    ‘Jail Bharo Tehreek’: Khan asks workers and supporters to prepare for new movement

    Imran Khan, Chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has on Saturday asked his workers and supporters to prepare for “Jail Bharo Tehreek” (Movement to Fill Jails) across the country.

    In a televised address, the former Prime Minister announced the movement as the next step to be taken by the PTI in light of the prevailing political situation that has seen several of its top leaders and allies spend time behind bars.

    “We have two options: Considering what they have been doing, we could have gone for a wheel-jam strike and demonstrations — which is one option and a democratic one.”

    However, Imran Khan said that because the state of the economy will worsen with a strike, “I ask all my workers, the Pakistani nation and everyone to prepare for the Jail Bharo Tehreek.”

    This way, he said, the federal government’s “new hobby” of putting every senior PTI leader in jail will also be fulfilled.

    “The entire party and the people should prepare for the Jail Bharo Tehreek”, Imran said. “Whenever I give the signal, we all will get out and get arrested by the authorities.”

    Khan claimed his party never committed such atrocities in its tenure as the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)-led government in the centre has.

    “Fawad Chaudhry was picked up from home at 3am. What did Shandana Gulzar do that made her a terrorist? As the court gives bail to Sheikh Rasheed, more cases are being filed against him,” the PTI chairman said, insisting that action has been taken against every person who called out the regime change.

    The former prime minister said human rights violations have continued since the “imported government” arrived.

    “No example can be found for the way Shehbaz Gill was tortured. The effects of the torture are still there,” Khan said.

    Speaking about the attempted assassination attack that left him injured, the PTI chairman said he couldn’t get the FIR of his choice registered despite being a former prime minister. However, he said, 60 FIRs were filed against him.

    Imran pinned the responsibility of rising terrorism on incumbent Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as he recalled the sacrifices made by the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during the war on terror.

    “Look at the graph of terrorism and how it came down during the PTI government,” he said. “Why wasn’t there any terrorism when PTI was in the federal government?”

    “This is why they (KP public) came out yesterday and thronged the streets in fear that there might be another operation,” he said, adding that countless innocent lives are lost during anti-terror operations.

  • Fawad cries on live TV recalling his kids visiting him in jail

    Fawad cries on live TV recalling his kids visiting him in jail

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry cried on Kashif Abbasi’s show on ARY while recalling the time his kids visited him in jail.

    A visibly teary-eyed Chaudhry said, “It was bad”.

    Senior journalist Kashif Abbasi told the former minister that it must have been a devastating time for the family, especially the kids. Abbasi added that Chaudhry’s children were told that Papa was out due to an official trip.

    https://twitter.com/PakForeverIA/status/1621168257255485441?s=20&t=0v5w9F90XMu7xZ5VDki6ng

    With tears in his eyes, Chaudhry said, “Of course, what could we tell them.”

    An Islamabad district and sessions court has accepted Chaudhry’s bail petition in the case registered against him for threatening Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) officials and their families on February 1.

    The bail was accepted on the condition that he will not repeat any words that can incite violence against a constitutional institution.

    Chaudhry was arrested outside his house in Lahore on January 25, after the case was registered against him in Islamabad.

  • Want a hotshot space in jail? Report reveals bribery makes influential prisoners live easy

    Want a hotshot space in jail? Report reveals bribery makes influential prisoners live easy

    It has been revealed in a report that the powerful and rich class in prison are bribing guards for special perks and facilities.

    A team led by Director-General (DG) Human Rights visited the jails and submitted its report to the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

    The report said that prison officials acknowledge that they are under intense political pressure. It has also been revealed that influential prisoners from Jhelum and Mianwali are being kept in Adiala Jail due to pressure from the Home Department. The report also revealed that inmates of Bhakkar Jail had provided evidence of money transfer to jail authorities.

    According to the report, the brother of one of the prisoners gave evidence of giving one lakh 40,000 to a jail guard.

    The report further suggests that prison officials are not aware of basic human rights. The prison meeting registers also indicate discrimination against inmates for meeting times and frequencies.

    The report also states that when senior police and prison officials are shown around the premises, not all that is shown and told is true. The report recommends training in human rights for prison officials.