District Jail Rawalpindi was a prominent jail in Rawalpindi,

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 opposite Rawalpindi District Courts. It was established in 1882 on an area of . The Jail was inherited by the Punjab Prisons Department besides 18 other Jails after

independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...

. On 4 April 1979, the former

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

and

Prime Minister of Pakistan The prime minister of Pakistan ( ur, , romanized: Wazīr ē Aʿẓam , ) is the head of government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen cabinet, despite the president of Pa ...

Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Zulfikar (or Zulfiqar) Ali Bhutto ( ur, , sd, ذوالفقار علي ڀٽو; 5 January 1928 – 4 April 1979), also known as Quaid-e-Awam ("the People's Leader"), was a Pakistani barrister, politician and statesman who served as the fourth ...

was hanged to death in this jail. In 1986, a new Jail was constructed on

Adiala Adiala or Adyala(Urdu: اڈیالہ) is a town of Rawalpindi District in the Punjab (Pakistan), Punjab province of Pakistan. It is located at 33°27'30N 72°59'48E with an altitude of 379 metres (1246 ft), and lies south of the district capital, Ra ...

Road nearly 13 kilometres away from the District Courts which was named

Central Jail Rawalpindi Central Jail Rawalpindi (also known as Adiala Jail) is a prominent prison in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. History The Central Jail Rawalpindi was built from the late 1970s and early 1980s during the military regime of General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, aft ...

. The old jail was demolished in 1988 on the orders of military dictator Gen.

Zia-ul-Haq General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq HI, GCSJ, ร.ม.ภ, ( Urdu: ; 12 August 1924 – 17 August 1988) was a Pakistani four-star general and politician who became the sixth President of Pakistan following a coup and declaration of martial ...

and the grounds converted into Jinnah Park. Some, especially activists of

's Pakistan Peoples Party believe that the District Jail Rawalpindi was demolished to destroy tangible reminders of Bhutto i.e. his death cell, execution gallows etc. which the Party and his children could use to gain sympathies of the world at large and to launch effective political campaign against

."Pindi Jail Not Too Old to Be Demolished" Sadiq Jafri. The News, 12 April 1992. There is now a small monument marking the exact spot where the gallows Bhutto was hanged from once stood, although it is overshadowed by the

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation is an American multinational fast food chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechristened their business as a hambur ...

and multiplex movie theatre which share the park with amusement rides, jogging track and other sports facilities.

References

External links

Official website of Punjab Prisons (Pakistan)
{{coord missing, Pakistan] Defunct prisons in Pakistan Demolished buildings and structures in Pakistan Buildings and structures demolished in 1988

See also

References

External links