Incarcerated Indefinitely on February 27, 2024These days every time you switch on a news channel or pick up a newspaper, a major chunk of space is taken up by the news related to court proceedings or orders. It may seem very natural as a predictable aftermath of the general elections but if one tries to categorize these cases being heard […]
Who Cares! on July 18, 2023“To be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” -Nelson Mandela July 18 is observed as the Mandela Day every year to acknowledge the work for peace of the great leader who was able to set aside the rancor […]
Persons with Disabilities Need More Than Quotas (Part I) on February 2, 2023It is very likely that you have read the title as persons with disabilities need more quotas. No surprise. Whenever some serious deliberation for the persons with special needs takes place it ends with proposing more quotas and protective policies. In our zest and zeal to protect the interests of persons with disabilities we tend […]
Easing Overcrowding in Prisons on July 30, 2022Recently, Punjab Prisons Department very proudly launched a mobile app to register prisoners’ complaints. The effectiveness of this app remains to be seen, but the leading cause of the grave grievances, i.e. overcrowding, is too huge to be dealt with by the department alone. What happens when a scruffy and sordid place is crammed with […]
Mandela Rules on July 18, 2022July 18 is dedicated to the memory of Nelson Mandela, who, despite spending the best part of his life in prison, emerged as a leader that worked for the reconciliation between the marginalised majority and the politically prevailing group. Instead of spewing hatred and hostility, he talked of peace. The minimum standards for the treatment […]
Healthcare of Prisoners on July 8, 2022The provision of healthcare to the prisoners in Pakistan is just as muddied as other aspects of its criminal justice system. Despite being a state party to the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (better known as Mandela rules after Nelson Mandela), the indifference and irreverence to these international commitments are […]
Mandela Day and ‘Correctional Facilities’ on July 18, 2020Since 2009, the world community has been celebrating July 18th as Mandela Day in the memory of the leader who fought to end brutal apartheid and stood for truth and reconciliation instead of retribution and retaliation. In order to commemorate the long term of 27 years served in jail, the UN’s Rules of Minimum Standards […]
Mandela Day and ‘Correctional Facilities’ on July 16, 2020Since 2009, the world community has been celebrating July 16 as Mandela Day in the memory of the leader, who fought to end brutal apartheid and stood for truth and reconciliation instead of retribution and retaliation. To commemorate the long term of 27 years served in jail, the UN’s Rules of Minimum Standards for the […]