LAHORE: Lahore High Court Chief Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah on Thursday took notice of alleged torture and inhumane behaviour against Member National Assembly Jamshed Ahmad Dasti.
The lawmaker is in Multan Central Jail for water theft. The chief justice took notice on media reports and a video wherein the lawmaker, the Pakistan Awami Raj Party chairman, told journalists about his suffering through the grills of a prison vehicle. Dasti alleged that he had been subjected to severe torture in jail and even was not provided food. He also alleged that the officials often unleashed rats and scorpions on him in the cell.
He appealed to Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar and the LHC chief justice to take suo motu notice.
Dasti is in police custody for last three weeks on charges of illegally opening a canal’s gate in Muzaffargarh. The police had registered a case against him on May 28 on the complaint filed on behalf of the Punjab Irrigation Department.
The LHC CJ directed the Sargodha district and sessions judge, the Sargodha and Dera Ghazi Khan Anti-Terrorism Court judges to visit the jail and observe the condition of the cell/barrack where Dasti was kept. The chief justice directed the judges to also investigate whether Dasti was subjected to torture during the custody and the jail authorities provided him facilities as entitled to a lawmaker. He further directed them to check whether the MNA filed any complaint before the court concerned regarding the alleged torture and inhuman treatment in the jail.
Published in Daily Times, June 30th, 2017.
