Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Friday ordered comprehensive prison reforms, directing authorities to transform jails into genuine rehabilitation centers. Chairing a meeting on prison reforms, she reviewed progress on ongoing initiatives and approved a detailed plan to address overcrowding and modernize the jail system.
Funding and Deadlines for New Jails
The chief minister approved an allocation of Rs1.3 billion for the early completion of the under-construction Nankana Sahib jail. She set September as the deadline for completing both the Nankana Sahib and Samundri jails. A video report on the Nankana Sahib jail was presented during the meeting.
Measures for Inmates and Children
Maryam Nawaz 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 are under construction to reduce overcrowding, while work on new jails in Chiniot and Murree is progressing.
Upgrades to Prison Transport and Facilities
The CM ordered that 30 prison vans be remodelled into air-conditioned vehicles equipped with washrooms, camera screens, and ergonomic seating. She approved the provision of mattresses in male prisoners' barracks and ordered regular inspections to ensure food quality. Officials presented a weekly diet plan and said welfare stores have been established in prisons. Nutritional supplements are now provided for imprisoned mothers and children up to six years old.
Women's Prisons and Family Amenities
Three modern women's prisons are being established in Lahore, Faisalabad, and Rawalpindi. Comfortable waiting sheds, transport carts, and family rooms for prisoners' relatives are being restored. Attention is being paid to education and social development at juvenile borstal institutions in Faisalabad and Bahawalpur.
Education and Vocational Training Programs
Under the Chief Minister Punjab Literacy Programme, 4,141 inmates have been registered for education. Under the "One Barrack, One Library" policy, 472 prisoners have completed matriculation, 367 intermediate education, and 140 graduation. Market-oriented prison industries are now operational in 15 jails, producing furniture, carpets, tuff tiles, melamine crockery, beauty soap, phenyl, washing powder, LED lights, footballs, gloves, and garments. Inmates receive practical training in mobile phone, motorcycle, and tractor repair, computer courses, welding, and cooking.
Security and Monitoring Enhancements
A biometric verification system has been introduced in prisons. Voice and panic alert systems and X-ray scanners are being installed, with monitoring enhanced under an Integrated Criminal System Coordination mechanism. Eleven lock-ups, including those in Lahore, have been upgraded.
Chief Minister's Remarks
Maryam Nawaz said, "I can relate to every aspect of the jail because I have seen everything myself." She emphasized that the protection of prisoners' dignity and rights would be ensured at all cost.
Statistics on Inmates and Capacity
Officials said 2,554 inmates have 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 engaged 74 psychologists to improve inmates' mental health.
Compensation for Kahna Tragedy
Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz visited Kahna to share the grief of families who lost 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, adding that negligence would not go unpunished.
Meeting of National Paigham-e-Aman Committee
Chairing a meeting of the National Paigham-e-Aman Committee, the CM said provincial laws are enforced strictly against criminals, not ordinary citizens. She advised parents not to send girls alone to tuition centres or unsafe places. She also expressed concern over corporal punishment in educational institutions and domestic violence.
