Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz shared her personal experience of imprisonment while addressing a jail reforms conference, saying she understands the hardships faced by prisoners because she had spent time in solitary confinement at Adiala Jail.
Maryam Nawaz said she was kept in solitary confinement for 24 hours at Adiala Jail and knew very well how such conditions affect a person’s mental health.
“Those who go through prison life can understand the pain and difficulties of being behind bars.”
The Punjab chief minister said she and her father, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, were imprisoned at the same time. During their imprisonment, her mother was seriously ill, but they were not allowed to meet her. “We were not allowed to see my mother, nor could I sit with her,” she said.
Recalling another incident, Maryam Nawaz said her blood sugar level dropped in jail, but no one came to help her.
“My hands were shaking and the bottle of jaggery fell on the floor and broke. I picked up the jaggery from the floor and ate it,” she said. She also described the prison cell, saying there was a washroom on one side and the sleeping area on the other, with no partition between them.
“There was no partition in the room. I did not know where I should spread my prayer mat,” she said.
Maryam Nawaz said her prison experience helped her understand how helpless a prisoner feels.
Speaking about reforms, she said the Punjab government has introduced modern changes in jails across the province.
She said video link facilities have been provided for all prisoners in Punjab’s jails, while an emergency button has also been introduced to provide quick assistance and improve facilities for inmates.