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50,000 inmates in Punjab jails of 17,000 capacity only

LAHORE, January 30 (Internews): Jails in Punjab are overcrowded with

more than 50,000 inmates lodged in prisons against an authorised

accommodation of 17,000 only.

According to official figures of the Punjab Home Department, during the

fiscal year 1998-99, the latest for which figures are available, Rs140m

were allocated for prison diet and Rs8.6m for medicare of the prisoners.

The Punjab government has approved 26 posts of religious teachers in the

provinceís jails to educate the prisoners. This is in addition to about

600 convicted mosque imams that are already imparting religious

education to the inmates.

Most of the 50,000 inmates in Punjabís jails are getting religious

education while over 500 are undergoing courses to learn the Quran by

heart. More than 50 have already done so and have been awarded

three-year remission each in their sentences.

To meet the housing shortage, the government is building new jails in

Khanewal, Hafizabad, Rajanpur, Lodhran, Bhakkar, Khushab, Narowal, Pindi

Bhattian, Summandri, Layyah, Nankana Sahib, Shujaabad, Vehari, Chunian,

Isakhel, Pakpattan, Taunsa, Shorkot, Toba Tek Singh, Jaranwala, Pind

Dadan Khan and Okara. ---Internews