HYDERABAD, March 14: Sindh Minister for Women Development Dr Saeeda Malik said on Tuesday her ministry would set up crisis centres in every district of the province to redress women’s grievances since one centre could not take care of them all alone.

She was responding to reporters’ queries during her visit to women’s jail in the premises of Central Prison Hyderabad.

“…I have spoken to DCOs concerned, identified places for setting up centres and since government has lifted a ban on recruitment they will soon be seen on ground,” she said.

“I admit that Karachi-based centre remains ineffective as far as lower Sindh is concerned,” said the minister.

Women prisoners complained to the minister about unavailability of ambulance and said they had to wait for hours on end and in some cases days to get shifted to hospital.

The jail doctor told the minister that even generic medicines were unavailable in jail hospital. A prisoner complained the jail’s roof leaked during rains, to which the minister assured that she would offer whatever help was possible.

To a question what her ministry had contributed to women’s prisons, she explained “Many people are unaware of the functions of women development ministry. It basically performs the role of a lobbyist and a catalyst between various ministries. Jails are looked after by home department etc. Still, we cater to around 48 per cent population in Sindh.”

She added that her ministry coordinated with various authorities on women issues and tried to solve them.

About discriminatory laws, she said even President Gen Pervez Musharraf had supported amendments to all the laws which were discriminatory against women.

She said she had offered women prisoners to send their handicrafts to Sale and Display Resources Centre in Karachi which would then be purchased after getting approval from the chamber of commerce.

The minister was accompanied by IG Prisons Brig M. A. H. Ayaz Mughni, AIG Prisons Dr Ashiq Memon, DIG Prisons Nsawaz Hussain and superintendent of women’s jail Uzma Hafeez and jail superintendent Muzaffar Alam Siddiqui during her visit.