Syed Ali Shah :
QUETTA: Inmates in all eleven prisons of Balochistan continue to suffer as prisons department remains without an inspector general for last more than two months. “Prisoners cannot lodge complaints and seek remissions for education because of the absence of prisons chief”, an official of the department told Quetta Voice.
He requested anonymity since he was not authorized to speak to the media. The number of inmates in all prisons of Balochistan is around 3,000. High-profile prisoners among them are languishing in the district jails Quetta, Mach and Gaddani. Eid is fast-approaching, the prisoners are hopefull about remissions but there is no IG prisons, the official pointed out.
Services tribunal declares appointment of Usman Ghani as against existing rules
On January 27th this year, the Services Tribunal Balochistan declared the appointment of Usman Ghani Siddiqui as the IGP against the existing prisons rules. Senior prisons officer, Shuja Kasi had challenged the appointment of Mr. Siddiqui as the Chief of the Prisons department.
Neither new IGP posted nor charge given to any officer
Since then, neither any IGP has been appointed nor any look after charge has been given to any prisons officer. Mr. Kasi in his constitutional petition had pleaded that the prisons chief should be a senior officer from within the department rather than other departments of the province.
However, government of Balochistan had decided to challenge the verdict of the services tribunal in the Supreme Court of Pakistan. Although, the tribunal had directed the Chief Secretary Balochistan to make sure the appointment of an officer from the prisons department.
Sources within the prisons department said that a summary of three officers as acting IGP has been sent to the Chief Minister Mir Quddus Bizenjo. Nevertheless, the CM is yet to approve any name mentioned in the summary for the appointment of new IGP Balochistan.