LAHORE: The experiment of providing lunch boxes with packed cold water to the prisoners at the time of their release from jail to appear before the courts, which has now been extended to the whole of Punjab, has proved to be most successful.
In an exclusive interview to APP here on Sunday, Inspector General of Prisons Punjab Mian Farooq Nazeer said that it was initially launched as a pilot program in several jails to ensure that inmates who often endure long and stressful journeys to court have access to basic nutrition and hydration.
The success of the program has now led to its expansion across the province of Punjab. He said that almost 42,863 condemned prisoners housed in various 43 prisons across the province are now receiving lunch boxes daily. He added that the initiative addresses a critical need, as pretrial detainees often face long waits and harsh conditions during transportation and court hearings. Before this program, many prisoners suffered from hunger and dehydration, which could exacerbate the stress and fatigue associated with their trial. By providing nutritious food and cold water, the program greatly improves their well-being and ensures that they are better equipped to withstand the rigors of the court proceedings.
He said the initiative underscores the commitment to humane treatment and respect for the fundamental rights of all individuals regardless of their legal status. This humane approach promotes a more compassionate and just society that recognizes that undertrial prisoners still face trial, they should not be subjected to inhumane conditions.
Regarding the quality of food, Mian Farooq Nazeer said that the diet plan of the prisoners was prepared after thorough consultation with the Food and Nutrition Department of the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, which fully ensured that the human body needs calories per day. He added that the best brand name products were used in food preparation and healthy chicken of excellent quality of approved weight was cooked six days a week and served to all 60,288 inmates.
He said all groups of DIGs and prison superintendents conduct surprise visits to the kitchen to ensure strict compliance. He said the custody prison is responsible for providing quality food to the inmates.
When contacted, Senior Jail Superintendent Zaheer Ahmad Virk at the severely overcrowded 94-year-old prison camp told APP that 6,424 lunch boxes with water were provided daily to undertrial prisoners as they left for courts.
He said his three deputy jail wardens, Kamran Maqbool, Muhammad Afzal Wattoo and Mohsin Ali, visited the kitchen on a daily basis to check the quality and weight of the bread. He said that Punjab Home Minister Noor-ul-Amin Mengal, IG, Dr. Waqar Ch Adviser to Minister of State and Federal Revenue Ombudsman and DIG Lahore range Naveed Rauf Langrial had lunch with juvenile prisoners during eid visit and highly appreciated the quality of food.
