CM orders reforms for prisoner welfare

LAHORE:

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif directed the relevant authorities on Friday to transform prison cells into genuine rehabilitation centres, ordering comprehensive reforms aimed at improving inmates' welfare, prison infrastructure and correctional services across the province.

Chairing a meeting on prison reforms, the chief minister reviewed progress on ongoing initiatives and was presented a detailed plan to address overcrowding and modernise the jail system.

A video report on the under-construction Nankana Sahib jail was presented during the meeting. The chief minister approved an allocation of Rs1.3 billion for its early completion. She set September as the deadline for completing the Nankana Sahib and Samundri jails.

She directed authorities to ensure quality beds, play areas, vocational training and regular education facilities for children living with incarcerated mothers.

She also ordered the upgrade of juvenile prisons and approved the introduction of a modern remission management system for prisoners.

Officials said 27 barracks were under construction to reduce overcrowding in prisons, while work on new jails in Chiniot and Murree was also progressing.

The CM ordered that 30 prison vans used for transporting inmates be remodelled and converted into air-conditioned vehicles equipped with washrooms, camera screens and ergonomic seating.

She also approved the provision of mattresses in male prisoners' barracks and ordered regular inspections to ensure the quality of food served to inmates.

Officials presented a weekly diet plan for the prisoners and said welfare stores had been established in prisons for inmates.

Nutritional supplements have also been introduced for imprisoned mothers and children up to six years of age.

The CM was informed that three modern women's prisons were being established in Lahore, Faisalabad and Rawalpindi. Comfortable waiting sheds, transport carts and family rooms for prisoners' relatives are also being restored.

Officials said attention was being paid to education and social development of children at the juvenile borstal institutions in Faisalabad and Bahawalpur.

Under the Chief Minister Punjab Literacy Programme, 4,141 inmates have been registered for education, while under the "One Barrack, One Library" policy, 472 prisoners have completed matriculation, 367 intermediate education and 140 graduation.

The chief minister was informed that market-oriented prison industries had become operational in 15 jails across Punjab. Samples of furniture, carpets, tuff tiles and melamine crockery manufactured by prisoners were presented during the meeting.

The prison industries are producing beauty soap, phenyl, washing powder, LED lights, footballs, gloves and garments, while inmates are receiving practical training in mobile phone, motorcycle and tractor repair, computer courses, welding and cooking.

Officials said a biometric verification system had been introduced in prisons.

To strengthen prison security, voice and panic alert systems and X-ray scanners are being installed, while monitoring has been enhanced under an Integrated Criminal System Coordination mechanism.

In addition, 11 lock-ups, including those in Lahore, have been upgraded.

The chief minister said, "I can relate to every aspect of the jail because I have seen everything myself."

She said the protection of prisoners' dignity and rights would be ensured at all cost.

Officials said 2,554 inmates had been shifted to their home district prisons since 2024.

Audio and video call facilities are now available to all prisoners across Punjab.

Inmates are entitled to 80 minutes of weekly audio calls with their families through prison PCO facilities.

The province's prison capacity has increased from 30,000 to 39,000 inmates, while the current jail population ranges between 68,000 and 79,000. Undertrial prisoners account for 73 per cent of the inmate population.

Five major prisons have been converted to solar energy. The government has also engaged 74 psychologists to improve inmates' mental health.

Kahna compensation

Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz visited Kahna to share the grief of families who had lost their children in a recent tuition centre roof collapse. She handed over compensation cheques of Rs2 million to the family of each deceased child and Rs500,000 to every injured child.

She said the centre should have been evacuated immediately after the first brick fell from the roof, adding that the negligence of those responsible would not go unpunished.

Chairing a meeting of the National Paigham-e-Aman Committee, the CM said the provincial laws were enforced strictly against criminals, not ordinary citizens.

She also advised parents not to send girls alone to tuition centres or places where their safety could be endangered. She also expressed concern over corporal punishment in educational institutions and domestic violence.