KARACHI: Faced with criticism over a viral photograph of Afghan children caged in a prison like facility, the Sindh government has said a total of 129 Afghan women with their 178 children are languishing in prisons of the province.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said that none of the 178 children were arrested and they lived with their undertrial mothers.

He said that the 129 women were being tried for violation of the Foreigners Act and under prison rules they were allowed to keep their children less than seven years of age with them.

The press conference of Mr Memon, Chief Minister’s Adviser on Prisons Aijaz Jakhrani, Food Minister Mukesh Chawla and Fahad Haroon came in response to a photograph in which Afghan children were shown caged in a prison like facility in Sindh.

The picture, widely shared on social media and later picked by mainstream news outlets, created a wave of criticism against the provincial government.

Sharjeel says 129 Afghan women will be deported in January after completion of their two-month term

Reacting on the photograph, the ministers said rumours were being spread on social media against the prisons of Sindh.

They categorically denied the authenticity of the picture and added that the viral picture did not belonged to any jail of Sindh.

They added that it was said on social media that the picture was taken at Landhi jail or Women Prison. However, the picture was not taken at any of the two mentioned places, the ministers said.

Minister Memon said that illegal immigrants were arrested as per the law and not allowed to live in any country.

He said that the illegal immigrants were arrested and produced in courts, which sent them to prison. He added that no one could be jailed without court orders.

He said that this should not be taken in the context of their Afghan nationality, as women from Nigeria, Bangladesh and other countries were also imprisoned in Sindh.

“The law applies to all illegal immigrants equally,” he said, adding that the courts had sentenced 54 women to two-month imprisonment and their sentences would be completed in the first week of January.

He said after completion of their sentences they would be deported with the help of the federal government.

The minister said that the Sindh government’s stance on illegal immigrants was clear and the action against them was being taken under the laws of the land.

“Illegal immigrants are not allowed to buy and sell properties in any country. If illegal immigrants are involved in crimes, action will be taken against them on merit according to the law, it will not be judged on the basis of their nationality but crime history,” he said.

On this occasion, videos and photos of children’s jail were also shown to the media.

The information minister said that the children confined in prisons with their mothers were provided with the best food, education and health facilities.

He said that earlier this month a delegation of the National Commission for Human Rights visited the women and children’s prison and recorded their impression in the visitors’ book and praised the facilities and environment provided in the children prison.

On this occasion, the food minister said that subsidised flour was being provided at 198 points in Karachi. He said that 500 to 600 bags of flour were available in mobile stalls every day and 125,000 bags of flour were being provided to the people in Karachi every day.

When asked, Minister Memon said that his party and the Sindh government wanted local government elections on time.

Published in Dawn, December 31st, 2022