Capital Development Agency (CDA) has principally approved a comprehensive plan of a new model prison with facilities of boarding, sporting, healthcare, library, residential quarters, educational and religious institutes.
The prison would be constructed on an area of 90 acres in Sector H-16. Unlike traditional prisons i.e. Adiala Jail, Central Jail Multan, Lahore and Faisalabad, Hyderabad, Juvenile Dadu, Sukkhar, District Jail Benazirabad, Central Prison Haripur, Peshawar, Central Jail Mach and District Jail Quetta- in which prisoners have no facilities to pass their time, neither health, sports, library, gym, schools and vocational training centers – for the first time in the history of Pakistan, a model prison would be constructed that will provide sports, health, education facilities to the prisoners under one roof.
In the model prison, there would be educational institutions for illiterate prisoners as well as prayer halls for the minorities. There would be vocational training centers to train male and female prisoners for a life outside prison and to make them useful for the sociey.
The Capital Development Authority (CDA) on February 2013 had leased 4,35,600 square yard land for the new prison for 33 years at the cost of Rs 720 million, which have been paid by the deputy commissioner of Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT).
Model prison also provides residential quarters for the staffers of jail, schools, mosques, libraries, market and other basic facilities for their children’s and family.
While talking, Islamabad Mayor cum CDA Chairman Sheikh Anser Aziz said, “We’ll make it a role model for others. The authority will educate prisoners, give them all basic and modern facilities so they can learn and contribute something positive for the country.”
According to the documents available with Pakistan Today, the Islamabad model prison will comprise 39 types of buildings, divided into three main categories. First, the ‘prison side buildings’ which include, three stories of administration block, four stories of sentry posts (24), two stories of male barracks, two stories of male juvenile barracks, two stories of women and female juvenile barracks, single story of gallows, four stories of central watch tower, two stories of main kitchen & kitchen barracks, two stories of hospital, two stories of indoor hall, single story of male laundry, two stories of family conjugal quarters, single story of prisoner processing, single story of prisoner library, and three stories of warden barracks (Male and female).
Second, ‘residential side buildings’ include two stories of rest house, three stories of residence grades 1-10 (5 Blocks), three stories of grades 11-14 (3 blocks), four stories of grades 16-18 (3 blocks), two stories of grade 19 (2 blocks), single story one block of grade 20 and three stories of National Academy Of Performing Arts (NAPA).
Third, ‘educational and prayers buildings’ include three stories of NAPA Academy, two stories of middle school for boys (prison), two stories of middle school for girls (prison), two stories of middle school for boys (colony), two stories of middle school for girls (colony), two stories of vocational training and factory block a, single story of vocational training and factory block b, two stories of prison mosque, two stories of colony mosque, single story of prayer hall for minorities, single story of PCO utilities and multipurpose halls, two stories of staff club, one stories of bank post office and shops, three stories of gatehouse 1 and 2, one story of machine room and single story of tractor shed.
When contacted, CDA Member Planning Asad Mehboob Kiyani said that CDA has acquired the land which was allotted to DC for the construction of model prison Islamabad. The groundbreaking of the prison was performed in November 2013 at a ceremony by former CJP Iftikhar Chaudhry.
When contacted, Deputy Commissioner Captain (retd) Mushtaq Ahmad said that the ICT administration was only trying to give the basic rights to prisoners which they did not get in the past. However, prisoners, in near future would also be facilitated with reading material for educational purposes at model prison, he concluded.
