Alleged abuse of prisoners sparks outrage

RAWALPINDI:

Prison authorities in Punjab found themselves in a sticky situation on Friday after videos showing alleged atrocities against a prisoner languishing in a Gujrat jail surfaced on social media.

Zaheer Uddin Babar, transferred from a Jhelum jail to Gujrat, was allegedly brutally tortured. The shocking videos revealed the extreme mistreatment and abuse he suffered during his captivity.

However, the DIG of Rawalpindi Prisons said that the torture videos were made by himself and clarified that the intention behind the prisoner's videos is to coerce the prison administration and use them for blackmail purposes. . He said an investigation revealed that the prisoner's fellow inmates confessed to creating the videos. Based on the investigation, a case was also registered, he added.

However, the disturbing videos emerging from Gujrat jail tell a different story, showing a prisoner arrested for murder being mistreated. The footage shows a prisoner chained behind bars, with one hand chained to the prison bars. Although the prisoner's legs are visible, it is unclear whether his feet are dangling in the air or resting on a chair.

Another video also shows the prisoner's other hand tied to the bars, leaving him helpless and unable to sit up or free himself from the chain. In another video, the prisoner can be seen lying in a semi-recumbent position with one leg and one foot tied to bars. The prisoner's condition appeared to have seriously deteriorated due to the inhumane treatment.

However, no one paid attention or acted. Furthermore, another video shows an unidentified individual wearing a prison cap inflicting torture on the prisoner.

Relatives of the prisoner have appealed to the Chief Justice of Pakistan, the Lahore High Court, the Prime Minister, the Chief Minister of Punjab and the IG of Punjab Prisons to take notice of the abuses and ill-treatment of Zaheer Uddin Babar. They claimed that authorities were trying to torture and ill-treat him to force him to withdraw his request.

Meanwhile, The Express Tribune contacted Rawalpindi Prisons DIG Abdul Rauf Rana for his comments on the matter. In response, Abdul Rauf Rana said Zaheer Uddin Babar had two more years to serve. Zaheer Uddin Babar, lodged in a jail in Gujrat, was transferred from Adiala Central Jail and Jhelum Jail.