Over 1,400 Balkh prisoners receive health kits

MAZAR-I-SHARIF (Pajhwok): Some 1,450 prisoners in northern Balkh province have received health kits with the assistance of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), local officials said on Monday.

Balkh prisons chief Abdul Rahman Himat said the health kits were prepared and distributed by the ICRC to around 1,450 inmates across the province.

Each kit included hand-wash, soap, a bucket, a water jug, toothpaste, tooth brush and some kitchen appliances that can meet the needs of a prisoner for six months.

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) pays special attention to prisoners and treats them like guests; imparting them access to both religious and scientific education for six hours daily, according to Himat.

The government has also initiated the construction of a standard prison-building on 25 acres of land in Balkh. It will have 20 blocks, towers and a boundary wall.

Some residents, meanwhile, proposed the construction of a prison outside the city.

One Mazar-i-Sharif inhabitant told Pajhwok Afghan News the existence of prisons inside the city was not advisable for security reasons.

He asked the interim government to construct the prison-building in a remote area outside the provincial capital.

Najeebullah, another resident of Mazar-i-Sharif, also said jails were generally located outside cities. He urged the government to follow the same practice.

aw/mud