Prisons in Lahore are 230pc overcrowded, LHC told

Prisons in Lahore are 230pc overcrowded, LHC told

Pakistan

The details of prisoners in both jails were submitted to the Lahore High Court.

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LAHORE (Muhammad Ashfaq) – A report has revealed that the jails in the provincial capital of Punjab are overcrowded, with more prisoners than the facilities can accommodate.

The details of prisoners in both jails were submitted to the Lahore High Court. A hearing was held in this regard on a petition filed for the enforcement of the fundamental rights of the prisoners, including the PTI founder.

LHC Chief Justice Aalia Neelam heard the petition filed by Advocate Amina Liaquat. The petitioner, Amina Liaquat, and Abdullah Malik appeared in the court. Assistant Advocate General Waqas Umar presented the report on behalf of the IG Prisons.

During the hearing, the report from the IG Prisons was presented to the court. The court directed that a copy of the report be provided to the petitioner's lawyer and adjourned the hearing until Jan 28.

According to the report, the District Jail Lahore currently holds 6,675 prisoners, while the jail has a capacity of only 2,000. The report further highlighted that between January 1, 2024, and September 5, 42 prisoners died in the District Jail.

A judicial inquiry determined that 31 of these deaths were natural, one was a suicide, and the cause of death for 10 prisoners remains undetermined.

Similarly, the Central Jail Lahore is also overcrowded, with 3,810 prisoners housed there, while it has the capacity for only 2,360 prisoners.

The report states that from January 1, 2024, to September 21, 26 prisoners died in the Central Jail. Among them, 18 deaths were considered natural, and the cause of death for 8 remains undetermined.

Legal expert Burhan Moazzam, in an exclusive conversation with Dunya News, said that overcrowding prisons violated prisoners' rights. Therefore, the administration must promptly find a solution to this issue, he added.