PAKISTANI COURTS AND JUSTICE SYSTEM
(Part 2)
I had also served terms in prison three times as I was implicated in bogus charges that the prosecution failed to prove. Being in prison brought motivation in me to ponder upon certain stuffs for improving my personal.
Henceforth, that toiling task revealed the stuff I was unaware of. There was an opportunity for me to see from very close the discriminatory behaviours. I noticed that there were separate barracks for ordinary, middle class and 2 percent elite inmates. Prisons have been divided into 3 classes of "A" "B", and "C".
In "C" class, the accused of crime inmates are kept. This type of inmates are not proven guilty of any crimes and is under trial. Their majority comprises downtrodden people. The "B" class is where political prisoners are kept and their barracks or wards are separate from B barracks. Food for all these C category prisoners is cooked and served in long queues called "Langar" which is of low quality. However, the inmates in "B" category are provided with some good quality food and drinks as compared to C category inmates. The B category inmates are provided with additional service as that of servants. The inmates in A category are for the elites. Their services and privileges even in prisons are absolutely outclass. They are provided with a soft bed, air-conditioning, newspapers, tidy bathrooms and access to the garden.
Having drawn a realistic picture of categories of inmates and discriminatory services behind the bars, I come to the subject-matter without wasting a moment. As I've described above, I wandered in between the categorised barracks of privileged and non-privileged inmates.
I met many prisoners and the facts behind their cases. There was also an opportunity to know how many prisoners have been imprisoned for years with or without lawful charges. The inmates are generally truthful in communicating the details of their cases. After talking to many prisoners, some surprising revelations puzzled me. On occasions, their stories of unlawful implications seemed as if a witch was following me and those gripped me with an acute wave of agony and a sudden shrieking yell from the depth of my heart covered the entire atmosphere there. My God! My God!
(To be continued )
ALTAF HUSSAIN
June 2, 2023.