KP Chief Minister Calls for Adiala Jail Reforms as Maryam Nawaz Shares Prison Experience
Islamabad: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi called for prison reforms to begin at Adiala Jail, while Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz shared her experiences of imprisonment during a prison reforms conference.
Addressing the conference, Sohail Afridi said prison reforms should start with Adiala Jail, proposing the construction of a waiting area for visitors outside the facility. He also urged authorities to facilitate a video call between former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his sons.
Afridi further said that if meetings between Imran Khan and his sisters cannot be arranged, force should not be used against them during prison visits. He also called for the PTI founder to receive medical treatment from his personal physicians, stating that prisoners are entitled to basic rights. He added that inmates in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s prisons are being provided with all necessary facilities.
The chief minister also criticized restrictions on political activity, saying political gatherings in a democracy should not result in criminal cases being registered.
Speaking at the same conference, Maryam Nawaz said she had been kept in solitary confinement for 24 hours a day during her imprisonment at Adiala Jail and described the psychological impact of isolation.
Before her address, a documentary highlighting prison reforms introduced in Punjab was screened.
Maryam Nawaz said her personal experience in prison inspired the reforms implemented in Punjab’s correctional facilities. She noted that video-link facilities have now been introduced for prisoners and that several modernization measures have been undertaken to improve prison conditions.
She recalled that she and her father, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, were imprisoned at the same time while her mother, Kulsoom Nawaz, was critically ill, but they were not allowed to meet her.
Maryam Nawaz also recounted a medical emergency in prison when her blood sugar level dropped sharply. She said no one responded to her calls for help, forcing her to eat pieces of jaggery that had fallen onto the floor after a glass bottle broke.
She added that prison cells lacked privacy, with sleeping and washroom areas located together without proper partitions. She said these experiences motivated her government to introduce reforms, including emergency call buttons and improved facilities for inmates.
The Punjab chief minister also said that a juvenile ward was located next to her cell and that she regularly heard children crying, an experience that reinforced her commitment to improving prison conditions.
