Bill Longley
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Thursday, May 01, 2008
Just a few weeks after the furore created by the death of a young Pakistani prisoner, Khalid Mehmood, at a jail in New Delhi in February this year, another Pakistani national is reported to have died three days ago at the Central Jail, Amritsar. In this case too, the circumstances of the death are rather mysterious. The prisoner, Muhammad Akram, 34, is believed to have been suffering from schizophrenia. Whereas the family of Khalid Mehmood has alleged severe torture, there are as yet few details available regarding the reasons behind the demise of Akram. Jail authorities in India say that since he is a Pakistani national, an autopsy cannot be performed. But there are some facts that are well known. Like their counterparts in Pakistan, Indian prison officers have a reputation for brutality. Mistreatment of prisoners is endemic and living conditions within jails grim. The possibility that Akram died due to these factors is very real. Certainly, in Pakistan, concern has already been expressed over the fact that he may have been subjected to maltreatment.
Akram, a resident of Faisalabad, also suffered a serious mental disorder. He therefore should have been treated with particular compassion. Given that he was arrested in February this year for crossing the border without valid documents, and had committed no crime graver than that, a greater effort should have been made to ensure his swift return home. There is every possibility he entered into India either by accident or as a result of the delusional conditions that are often a part of schizophrenia. While India and Pakistan continue to conduct negotiations on prisoners, and about 100 Pakistani jailed in India are likely to be released soon, there is clearly a need for a further improvement in the mechanisms in place for the return of people detained across the border.
Means need to be established to ensure that those held simply for straying across the border, which in many places in both Punjab and Sindh is extremely poorly demarcated, can be returned immediately. This is especially necessary given the consistent findings that Pakistanis and Indians held in jails in the other country are particularly vulnerable to abuse. To avoid other deaths, such as that of Akram, the events leading up to it must also be inquired into and steps taken to prevent others falling victim to similar circumstances.
Death behind bars
Just a few weeks after the furore created by the death of a young Pakistani prisoner, Khalid Mehmood, at a jail in New Delhi in February this year, another Pakistani national is reported to have died three days ago at the Central Jail, Amritsar. In this case too, the circumstances of the death are rather mysterious. The prisoner, Muhammad Akram, 34, is believed to have been suffering from schizophrenia. Whereas the family of Khalid Mehmood has alleged severe torture, there are as yet few details available regarding the reasons behind the demise of Akram. Jail authorities in India say that since he is a Pakistani national, an autopsy cannot be performed. But there are some facts that are well known. Like their counterparts in Pakistan, Indian prison officers have a reputation for brutality. Mistreatment of prisoners is endemic and living conditions within jails grim. The possibility that Akram died due to these factors is very real. Certainly, in Pakistan, concern has already been expressed over the fact that he may have been subjected to maltreatment.
Akram, a resident of Faisalabad, also suffered a serious mental disorder. He therefore should have been treated with particular compassion. Given that he was arrested in February this year for crossing the border without valid documents, and had committed no crime graver than that, a greater effort should have been made to ensure his swift return home. There is every possibility he entered into India either by accident or as a result of the delusional conditions that are often a part of schizophrenia. While India and Pakistan continue to conduct negotiations on prisoners, and about 100 Pakistani jailed in India are likely to be released soon, there is clearly a need for a further improvement in the mechanisms in place for the return of people detained across the border.
Means need to be established to ensure that those held simply for straying across the border, which in many places in both Punjab and Sindh is extremely poorly demarcated, can be returned immediately. This is especially necessary given the consistent findings that Pakistanis and Indians held in jails in the other country are particularly vulnerable to abuse. To avoid other deaths, such as that of Akram, the events leading up to it must also be inquired into and steps taken to prevent others falling victim to similar circumstances.
Death behind bars
