The event was held on Monday at the Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA) in Islamabad.
The event featured renowned artists like Sarmad Khoosat, Samiya Mumtaz, Erfan Khoosat, and Hassan Wajid Baig as they read letters penned by inmates incarcerated in Pakistan’s penal system. The letters were interspersed with passages from George Orwell’s essay A Hanging as well as regulations from the Pakistan Prisons Rules.
The dramatic readings highlighted the dysfunction of Pakistan’s justice system – torture, false confessions, juvenile detention – as well as shone a light on the humanity of those behind bars. With this production, JPP and Olomopolo Media raised important questions around crime, punishment and the justice system.
An interactive session titled ‘This Is (Not) A Game’ took place before the performance which started at 7:30pm. The concept was the brainchild of Kanwal Khoosat with direction from Talha Mufti and sound design by Agha Haider.
The JPP is a legal action non-governmental organisation which represents the most vulnerable Pakistani prisoners facing the harshest punishments at home and abroad.