MIANWALI, June 2: Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry visited the Central Jail on Sunday and spent more than six hours hearing grievances of prisoners.

Lahore High Court Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, IGP Khan Baig, IG Prisons Farooq Nazir, Sargodha Division Commissioner Iqbal Mohammad Chauhan, Mianwali D&SJ Malik Muhammad Akram Awan, Mianwali DCO Dr Ahmad Javed Qazi and Superintendent Jail Qazi Muhammad Aslam accompanied the chief justice.

Earlier, District Bar Association President Sardar Nasrullah Khan and Punjab Bar Council member Malik Mohammad Akram Awan received the chief justice at Canal Rest House.

The chief justice visited the jail kitchen, hospital and prisons for juveniles and women. He ordered release of five prisoners who could not pay diyat and arsh amount of Rs109,800. The jail authorities paid the amount and allowed the captives to go.

He also directed the officials to release another six prisoners within a week after the chief secretary promised payment on their behalf.

WAILING WOMEN: The police allegedly roughed up three women (two of them sisters) who came from Sargodha to agitate in front of the Central Jail for the recovery of their “missing” mother.

Gulnar Bibi told Dawn that her mother, Chand Bibi, retired as a nurse and rented her house at Shahpur (Sargodha) to some policemen. She said one year ago her mother went to collect rent but did not return.

Gulnar said she visited Shahpur to inquire about her mother but was surprised to learn from the tenants that their mother had sold her house to them and they knew nothing about her whereabouts.

She said she and her sister reported the matter to the Sargodha police who had failed to trace their mother. She said the tenants had claimed ownership of the house on the basis of forged documents.

All their efforts to get justice had failed, said the sobbing woman. She appealed to the chief justice to order recovery of her mother and action against the policemen who humiliated them at the Central Jail entrance.