Visit to Pakistan

In February 2010 Natalie, our Human Rights Adviser, visited Pakistan to see first-hand what the prisons are like and to meet Britons held there. Here is her account of one encounter.

I’m sat opposite Sam, talking about growing up in Scotland. He is 58, and from the same part of the country as I am. It could be a normal, everyday conversation, but I am in a Pakistani jail, and Sam has been held here for the last 18 months.

Pakistan is home to over 160 million people, with a prison population of around 90,000, including 21 Britons. Sam (not his real name) is one of those 21.

I’m in Pakistan to meet Consular officials, prison authorities and prisoners themselves.  I’m employed by Prisoners Abroad and seconded to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office where I’m a Human Rights Adviser. I spend the majority of my time there, but one day a fortnight I’m in the Prisoners Abroad office, giving advice to my colleagues and writing information sheets for Britons held all over the world.

Although I’m in Pakistan on FCO business, it gives me a good opportunity to meet prisoners and to share my experiences with colleagues at Prisoners Abroad. The two organisations work closely together to support Britons held overseas. In fact, later this year some Prisoners Abroad colleagues will visit Thailand on a trip funded by the FCO. Overseas visits are something which Prisoners Abroad struggles to afford, when so many of their resources are needed to provide the real essentials for Britons held in places like Pakistan, where the food may be insufficient and the medical facilities inadequate.

The prison which Sam now calls home is also home to 6,000 others, which makes it one of the largest prisons in south Asia. It is dangerously overcrowded; dormitories are cramped and prisoners must sleep on the floor. Sam tells me that there is not even enough room for the prisoners to sleep on their backs – they must sleep on their sides, or take turns to sleep. Hygiene is poor throughout the dorms, and infections spread easily.

Sam has arthritis, and finds that the conditions in the prison make it worse. There is only one doctor for the 6,000 inmates, and the treatment is very basic. He does not have access to basic painkillers, such as ibuprofen, and hasn’t taken any medication for his arthritis since he’s been here.

We talk for half an hour, mostly about general stuff: books, football, and life in Scotland. Sam tells me about his family, and about the job he had before his incarceration.

He’s happy to have someone to talk to in his own language. It’s clear that he is intelligent, and prison life frustrates and bores him. There are no activities for him to do in this prison. With a big smile on his face he tells me how much he loves the Prisoners Abroad magazine and the British newspapers we send him.

I feel guilty as I get up to leave, knowing that whilst the next leg of my trip is in Dubai, Sam must return to the overcrowded dorm. I hope that my visit shows that there are people who care for those like Sam, who are many miles from home and missing their family.