reasons”. This is then approved by the Inspector General of Prisons but is often misused as a form of inflicting greater further degrading treatment and extortion. The accused are taught a lesson in disciplining at another prison, often in a separate block constructed for torture purposes. In fact, the punishment block is essentially a jail within a jail. At the Rawalpindi Jail it is called the Eik [1] Cell. Under prison regulations, a prisoner is to be kept segregated if he becomes a threat to others or if he has misbehaved (Section 28, Prisons Act, 1894). The Eik Cell violates the prohibition against solitary confinement as contained in the Mandela Rules, Rule 44. Most of those sent there have caused commotion or led riots. However, inmates say jail officials wield discretionary power to send anyone there. Another issue prevailing in Central Jail, Rawalpindi is the system of ‘nigrans’. This term is used for inmates who are given responsibility by the prison authorities of handling other inmates. These nigrans are appointed by the prison authorities after receiving bribes, and they perform the kind of functions that ordinarily a jail employee would perform. The excuse used by prison authorities for appointing these nigrans is that the current strength of prison administration is not enough to perform the functions of the prison in an effective manner. However, due to the illegal structure of this system, the nigrans are often involved in incidents of torture against their own fellow inmates. Modes of torture include strappado when a man is left hanging by his arms. This can result in dislocation of the shoulders. Another form of torture popular with jail staff is ‘jahaaz banana’ [make into an aeroplane]. The victim is held in the air by four people, each holding a limb while two others beat him with a ‘chhittar’ [whip] made out of tire rubber. Another form of torture is ‘kawwa banana’ [make into a crow], where a person squats, bending forward, with a rod passing through behind the knees. The victim is kept in the posture for hours, hampering his blood circulation. While torture at police stations is meant to force confessions and supposedly facilitate investigation, in jails there are other reasons for it. First of all, there is the failure to prosecute the perpetrators of torture. (One can see that no official has been punished for torture over last 5 years at the jail). The Commission is deeply concerned about reports of impunity with regard to cases of death and allegations of torture and sexual abuse by prisoners and prison staff who have not been subjected to effective investigation and faced punishment commensurate with their crimes. More often than not, staff are simply transferred to another posting. 13