20 Pakistani inmates in state mentally unsound

All in transit camp after completing jail term. After tightening security for Pakistani nationals in its jails following death of Sarabjit Singh,Punjab Monday conducted a medical examination of those lodged in the Amritsar central jail - it houses 41 prisoners from the neighbouring country. Of them,20 were found mentally unsound,all lodged in transit camp after completing their jail terms. There are a total of 57 Pakistani nationals in six Punjab jails - Amritsar,Ferozepur,Kapurthala,Patiala and Nabha most facing charges under the NDPS Act. Three most high-profile prisoners are lodged in Patiala jail under charges of hijacking an Indian airplane to Kandahar in 1999. Among the 41 in Amritsar,five,including a woman,have been convicted under the NDPS Act,six are undertrails and 30 have completed jail terms. We have written to the Government of India about the 30 Pakistani nationals who have completed their jail terms. They are in the transit camp in Amritsar and will be released when the External Affairs Ministry directs us, Punjab Jails Minister Swaran Singh Phillaur said. Amritsar Jail superintendent RK Sharma said the mentally unsound inmates are examined regularly by a team of doctors,including psychiatrists. They have all been declared to be of unsound mind in the last few years during these examinations. Their jail terms have been completed and they are lodged in a transit camp with those who have completed their jail term, he said. IG (Jails) Jagjit Singh Monday reviewed the security arrangements at the Amritsar central jail and said the state has beefed up watch and ward in jails where Pakistani prisoners are lodged to avoid any untoward incident. We segregated them from other inmates the day Sarabjit Singh died. Where needed,we are keeping them in separate enclosures and keeping a vigil on food provided to them and have different time slot for their movement in the jail compound, Singh said. Meanwhile,Phillaur said a bigger worry for the jail authorities is increasing drug use in jails. We have started a drive to seize drugs and arrest peddlers in the state. Now mostly there are drug dealers and users arrested under NDPS Act in jails. We are also regularly medically examining inmates for drug use, he added.