Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar on Saturday suspended the execution of Kanizan Bibi for being schizophrenic (mental ill) patient and also sought her medical report besides another schizophrenic death row prisoner Imdad Ali.
A two-member bench of the Supreme Court, also comprising Justice Ijazul Ahsan, was hearing appeal of Kanizan Bibi who had been languishing in jail for last 27 years and was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2000. The CJP said the court would get the examination of Kanizan Bibi by a medical board before further proceedings in the case. The chief justice tasked the same medical board with the job which previously dealt with the case of a woman prisoner.
The CJP also ordered shifting of the prisoner to the PIMH and directed its consultant Dr Tahir Pervez, present in the court, to personally take care of her and ensure good medical treatment.
CJP Saqib Nisar pointing out about the complaints of sexual abuse with the women patients admitted to the PIMH warned the consultant to ensure that no such incident take place in the institute. The CJP also appointed two lawyers Zafar Iqbal Kalanuri and Ayesha Hamid to visit the hospital and file a report on its condition. The Chief Justice expressing his concern over hanging of mentally ill condemned prisoners said: "This is beyond my understanding that a mentally ill person can be executed."
Earlier, the court's amicus curie Ayesha Hamid told the chief justice that all legal remedies including mercy petition before the president had been exhausted by the prisoner.
Barrister Sarah Belal on behalf of Kanizan Bibi told the court that a medical board should be directed to examine current mental health of Bibi. She also requested the court to order shifting of the schizophrenic prisoner to Punjab Institute of Mental Health (PIMH) so she could receive a better medical treatment and care.
To a court's query, a lawyer from complainant side in another identical case stated that there was no such bar on the hanging of handicapped or mentally ill prisoners under local laws and jail manuals. At this, Justice Ijazul Ahsan observed that there were international human rights conventions against the execution of mentally ill prisoners.