Serious concerns have emerged over drug use inside prisons in Mianwali and Jhang, with official documents and video footage suggesting that inmates have easy access to narcotics—allegedly with the cooperation of some prison staff.
A report by the Medical Officer at Mianwali Jail revealed disturbing signs of drug addiction among prisoners, including aggressive behaviour and paranoia. Based on these observations, authorities conducted a prison-wide drug screening, which showed that 423 inmates had tested positive. Of these, 273 were awaiting trial, while 150 were convicted.
The report identified various drugs in use inside the prisons: 231 inmates were found using methamphetamine (‘ice’), 96 used cannabis, 43 consumed heroin pills, 15 relied on sleeping tablets, and one tested positive for cocaine.
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Former inmate Aziz Khan, in a video message, alleged that drug dealing is rampant inside Jhang Jail. He claimed that drug traders pay prison officials up to Rs400,000 monthly to continue their operations. He also accused the prison authorities of turning a blind eye to sexual exploitation of young and underage inmates, stating that wealthier prisoners could pay bribes to transfer detainees into their own barracks.
Khan appealed to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif to intervene urgently.
However, Superintendent Jail Mianwali, Farukh Rasheed, dismissed the report as biased. He said the dispute stemmed from disagreements over doctor attendance. Rasheed added that five lower-level staff members had been disciplined for helping inmates obtain drugs, and that surveillance has since been tightened, though smuggling by prisoners’ families remains a challenge.