Asif Mahmood

So the jail superintendent has graciously informed the nation of the luxuries afforded to Mr. Imran Khan behind bars. Very kind of him. But perhaps, one day, he’ll also find the time to tell us what life looks like for the other prisoners — the faceless, forgotten ones — rotting away in those same jails?

Take Rawalpindi, for instance. Twenty-seven inmates have died from heart and liver diseases. Did the superintendent issue even a single condolence, a token press release, or shed a ceremonial tear? Of course not. Sympathy, it seems, is a class privilege.

In just two years, 145 inmates across Punjab prisons have died of preventable diseases. No outrage, no inquiry. But when a prince from the political elite lands in jail, suddenly the superintendent becomes a PR officer: “We’re treating him like a groom on his wedding day.”

Will the honourable Minister of Prisons or the esteemed Superintendent ever care to tell us about the 3,499 women wasting away in our jails? Will they assure us that these women — many of them poor, abandoned, and voiceless — still have dignity left? There’s always a “special cell” available for Khan sahib, but what about the pregnant women? Why is there no separate room for them?

For political prisoners, medical teams are flown in. But who will explain how many gynecologists are available for the 3,500 incarcerated women? Spoiler: barely any.

We’re told Khan sahib has a private cell with multiple rooms. Fair. Now can the same jail authorities explain why 40 men are crammed into a room meant for ten? Adiala Jail was built for 1,900 inmates — it now holds over 5,000. Are they humans or livestock packed into a pen?

The total prison capacity in Pakistan is around 46,000. The actual number of prisoners? 84,000. And no, there’s no room to isolate even a contagious inmate among the lesser mortals. Because space is a luxury — like justice.

Let a scion of a ruling family be jailed, and a full-fledged medical unit magically appears, with doctors on standby. Meanwhile, 22 out of 32 Punjab jails don’t even have ECG machines. X-rays? Only available in four. Never mind that the Prison Act, Section 39, mandates a hospital in every jail.

More than half of our jails don’t even have fans. In 40-degree heat, prisoners survive on cross-ventilation and prayers. Amnesty International reports that........

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