Male Prisoners to Move First as Islamabad Model Jail Awaits Completion of Women’s Barracks
The new facility also includes a 35-bed medical unit to provide healthcare services to prisoners.
Men first, women later. The first phase of Islamabad’s New Model Jail has been completed with a capacity to accommodate 1,500 male prisoners, while female inmates will have to wait until their dedicated barracks are constructed in the second and third phases of the project.
Under the initial phase, male prisoners belonging to Islamabad who are currently held at Adiala Jail and other prisons will be transferred to the newly completed facility. However, female prisoners will remain in their existing prisons until separate accommodation for women becomes available.
Once the second and third phases are completed, the jail’s total capacity is expected to increase to approximately 4000 to 4,500 prisoners, including accommodation for female inmates.
The new facility also includes a 35-bed medical unit to provide healthcare services to prisoners.
The Islamabad Model Jail project, which remained pending for 17 years, has finally been completed and is expected to be inaugurated soon by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, marking a significant development in the federal capital’s prison infrastructure.
Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, accompanied by Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry, visited the newly completed facility on Tuesday and conducted a detailed inspection of its infrastructure and arrangements for prisoners.
According to a statement issued by the Interior Ministry, Naqvi inspected various sections of the jail during his visit, including the hospital, kitchen, mess, prisoners’ barracks and waiting areas, reviewing the facilities and services planned for inmates.
The Interior Minister also inspected the jail’s kitchen and dining arrangements and personally tasted food prepared for prisoners. Senior government and police officials accompanied him and joined him in eating the meal served from the prison mess to assess its quality.
Officials confirmed that the newly completed Islamabad Model Jail will soon be formally inaugurated by the Prime Minister, paving the way for its operational activation.
The completion of the facility is particularly significant because Islamabad has long lacked its own operational prison, forcing authorities to transfer individuals arrested, detained or convicted in cases falling under the federal capital’s jurisdiction to prisons elsewhere, particularly Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.
Adiala Jail has consequently housed numerous prisoners connected to cases registered in Islamabad, including political figures.
Former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who was initially imprisoned in Attock Jail before being transferred to Adiala Jail, is among the most prominent political prisoners held at the Rawalpindi facility.
Once Islamabad Model Jail becomes operational, prisoners whose cases fall under Islamabad’s jurisdiction could potentially be transferred to the new facility, depending on legal requirements, administrative decisions and the relevant authorities’ arrangements.
However, no official decision has yet been announced regarding the transfer of existing prisoners, including political detainees, from Adiala Jail to Islamabad Model Jail.
The new prison is expected to reduce Islamabad’s reliance on detention facilities in Rawalpindi and provide dedicated prison infrastructure for the federal capital.
The upcoming inauguration will mark the completion of a long-delayed project and could significantly change the management of prisoners and detainees connected to cases within Islamabad’s jurisdiction.
