Rights-based prison reforms promised – Journal

• Chief ministers pledge to reduce unnecessary incarceration, improve infrastructure • CJP calls reforms ‘shared institutional responsibility’ • Maryam says prisons should reflect values ​​and efficiency of justice system • Afridi calls for reforms ‘from Adiala onwards’

ISLAMABAD: Provinces on Thursday reaffirmed their commitment to lasting prison reforms, with all chief ministers recognizing that such reforms were not just an administrative necessity, but a constitutional and public safety imperative.

The National Conference on Prison Reforms, organized by the Supreme Court under the auspices of the National Judicial (Policy Development) Committee (NJPMC), aimed to build a nationally coordinated prison reform framework with provincial governments.

Signing the Islamabad Declaration on prison reforms, Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz, Sindh CM Murad Ali Shah, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa CM Sohail Afridi and Balochistan CM Sarfraz Bugti affirmed the importance of prison reforms.

In his opening address, Chief Justice Yahya Afridi observed that prisons reflected the true pulse of the criminal justice system and stressed that meaningful reform required shared institutional responsibility and sustained provincial leadership. He also called for a resolve that the criminal justice system remains rooted in human dignity.

During the conference, CM Maryam shared her own harrowing experience of solitary confinement which she said has resulted in improvements in provincial prisons, while CM Afridi specifically mentioned Adiala Prison, where her party leader is incarcerated, and called for better facilities for those who visit her.

However, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, while announcing the Islamabad Declaration on Prison Reforms, said reforms in colonial-era prison laws did not benefit prisoners like Nawaz Sharif or Imran Khan but thousands of ordinary inmates languishing in jail.

CM Afridi insisted that the reform process should start from Adiala Prison, where former Prime Minister Imran Khan is currently incarcerated.

Talking about the concept of e-visits, the KP CM asked CJP Afridi to ensure that Imran can communicate with his two sons living abroad. He also asked the CJP to direct the prison administrator to erect blinds so that visitors who arrive at the Adiala prison to meet their incarcerated leader do not experience the scorching heat.

CM Maryam said the experiences she endured during her imprisonment changed her forever and helped her understand the state’s responsibility towards those in detention. This helped her understand that prison should never become a punishment contrary to human dignity, she added. The Punjab CM also shared a presentation to show how his government has made improvements by improving facilities in all prisons in Punjab.

Prison should not be a place of confinement but reflect the values ​​of society and the efficiency of the justice system, she stressed, adding that Punjab has 45 correctional centers across the province which currently house 69,000 inmates against the permitted capacity of 39,000. But the problem was not overcrowding as three-quarters of the prison population consisted of undertrial inmates.

She recalled, based on her own experience, how she introduced emergency panic buttons in Punjab prison cells for immediate assistance when needed. Meanwhile, CM Murad Ali Shah said the rehabilitation policy was the cornerstone of the Sindh government’s vision to ensure that no inmate remains without representation simply because he cannot afford legal assistance.

“Coordinated national effort”

At the same time, the statement shared a commitment to a coordinated national effort to reform provincial prison systems and recognized that Pakistan’s prisons were under serious strain with overcrowding, a high proportion of undertrial prisoners, inadequate infrastructure, limited access to health and mental health services, and insufficient opportunities for rehabilitation, education, and vocational training.

The Chief Ministers committed to reducing unnecessary incarceration, particularly of undertrial prisoners, by increasing access to bail, legal aid, probation, parole, diversion and other non-custodial alternatives, particularly for women, children, people with disabilities, people with mental health problems and those detained for minor poverty-related offenses.

The declaration also commits to review provincial laws, rules, policies and administrative practices governing arrest, detention, sentencing, prison management, probation, parole and rehabilitation with a view to reducing overcrowding and aligning prison administration with constitutional and human rights standards.

The declaration calls for improving conditions of detention through increased investments in infrastructure, sanitation, nutrition, health care, mental health services, recourse to complaints and safeguards against torture, ill-treatment and neglect.

He called for promoting rehabilitation and reintegration by expanding education, vocational training, psychosocial support, drug treatment, skills development and post-release support for those in detention.

He also called for strengthening coordination within the criminal justice system, including prison services, police, prosecution, probation and parole services, legal aid institutions, health and social care services and the judiciary, to support efficient case processing and timely access to justice.

The statement also commits to regularly reporting on the implementation of the agreed national prison reform coordination mechanism, including progress made in reducing prison overcrowding, improving detention conditions, expanding non-custodial alternatives and strengthening rehabilitation services.

Published in Dawn, July 3, 2026

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