Central Jail Mianwali is an old and historical jail in

Mianwali Mianwali (Punjabi/ ur, ) is the capital city of Mianwali District in Punjab, Pakistan. The 81st largest city of Pakistan, it is known for its diverse population of, Punjabi and Pashtun ethnicities. History Mianwali District was an agricult ...

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising a ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

located on Rawalpindi road nearly 8 kilometers away from

city. It is noted for housing a number of prominent prisoners, the most notable of these being Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman during the Bangladesh Liberation War.

History

Mianwali Jail was constructed in 1904 with 293 prisoners in the Jail and was elevated as District jail in 1913. The inmates' population in 1913 was 228. Inside jail hospital crude death rate in 1911 was 6.49%. Major portion of the jail consists of muddy barracks and cell-blocks plastered with clay. In 1911, 364 prisoners remained admitted in the jail hospital, in 1912, 357 prisoners and in 1913, 516 prisoners. Prisoners in the jail were made to work and a variety of things were made by them which were put up for sale in the market. Profit earned in 1911 was Rs.1863, in 1912, Rs. 1229 and in 1913, Rs.1314. Nomenclature of the officer-in-charge of the jail during 1911-1913 was Superintendent of Jail under whom one jailer now referred to as Deputy Superintendent and two assistant jailors now referred to as

Assistant Superintendent Assistant superintendent, or assistant superintendent of police (ASP), is a rank that was used by police forces in the British Empire and is still used in many police forces in the Commonwealth. It was usually the lowest rank that could be held b ...

s used to work. Jail had a staff of 40 warders in 1911. Ilmuddin was executed in this jail on 31 October 1929 during the

British Rule The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was hims ...

. The condemned prisoners' cell in which he was confined during last night of his life (between 30–31 October 1929) is still intact. District Jail Mianwali was elevated as Central Jail in May 1960 and Jahangir Khan Hotyana was appointed as its first

Superintendent Superintendent may refer to: *Superintendent (police), Superintendent of Police (SP), or Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), a police rank *Prison warden or Superintendent, a prison administrator *Superintendent (ecclesiastical), a church exec ...

. School for non-formal education of adults, hospital, mosque and library facilities are available in the present day Central Jail Mianwali. Famous freedom fighter

Bhagat Singh Bhagat Singh (27 September 1907 – 23 March 1931) was a charismatic Indian revolutionary* * who participated in the mistaken murder of a junior British police officer * * in what was to be retaliation for the death of an Indian national ...

's hunger strike in 1929 in Mianwali Jail lasted 112 days, one of the world's longest hunger strikes at that time. After a brutal crackdown initiated by dictator

Yahya Khan General Agha Muhammad Yahya Khan , (Urdu: ; 4 February 1917 – 10 August 1980); commonly known as Yahya Khan, was a Pakistani military general who served as the third President of Pakistan and Chief Martial Law Administrator following his p ...

, the Founder of

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was arrested without charge and flown to

West Pakistan West Pakistan ( ur, , translit=Mag̱ẖribī Pākistān, ; bn, পশ্চিম পাকিস্তান, translit=Pôścim Pakistan) was one of the two Provincial exclaves created during the One Unit Scheme in 1955 in Pakistan. It was ...

where he was incarcerated in solitary confinement at the Central Jail Mianwali throughout the duration of the Bangladesh Liberation War. A military tribunal sentenced Sheikh Mujib to the penalty of death. A noose was subsequently prepared and a grave was dug by Indian prisoners imprisoned for spying. Sheikh Mujib's execution was deferred on three occasions. Bangabandhu was finally released after the surrender of Pakistani forces to joint Bangladeshi and Indian forces in January under the orders of Zulfiqar Bhutto following immense international pressure.

References

External links

{{Prisons in Pakistan Prisons in Pakistan

History

See also

References

External links