ISLAMABAD:
Amid protests by the PTI over the lack of legitimate rights of its detained leaders, the National Judicial Policy Making Committee (NJPMC), comprising all Chief Justices, announced that it will organize a National Conference on “Prison Reform Action Plan” in June to promote stakeholder participation and political dialogue as part of an inclusive reform process.
Last week, Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi chaired the 59th meeting of the NJPMC, which was attended by the Chief Justice of the Federal Shariat Court, the Chief Justices of all High Courts, the Attorney General of Pakistan and the Secretary of the Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan.
During the meeting, the NJPMC reviewed progress in the implementation of the Prison Reform Action Plan, aimed at aligning Pakistan’s prison system with the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Nelson Mandela Rules).
It was noted that deliberations are actively taking place in the provincial justice committees to ensure the adoption of effective, rights-based and sustainable reform measures.
The NJPMC emphasized the need for a coordinated and harmonized approach to the implementation of the Prison Reform Action Plan, with special emphasis on safeguarding prisoners’ rights, improving detention conditions, and strengthening institutional accountability.
The NJPMC urged provincial justice committees to take proactive measures to ensure ownership by provincial governments. Directed the LJCP Secretariat to organize a national conference on the Prison Reform Action Plan in June 2026 to facilitate stakeholder engagement and policy dialogue as part of an inclusive reform process.
It also ordered that a concept note for the proposed conference, containing objectives, format and list of delegates, be prepared and shared with the high courts for comments before its completion.
The higher judiciary is planning to organize the national conference on prison reforms at a time when former Prime Minister Imran Khan, through his lawyer, has alleged that he and his wife are being kept in “torturous solitary confinement” for almost 24 hours, without access to books, television, family or lawyers.
Barrister Taimur Malik, lawyer for several imprisoned political prisoners including Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Ejaz Chaudhry and Dr Yasmin Rashid, said that while it is positive that a Prison Reform Action Plan is being considered, any such proposal would be inadequate if it does not address the timely fixing of inmates’ bail, suspension and appeal applications.
He further said that prisons across Pakistan are overcrowded and most of the problems that the reform plan seeks to address arise from this condition.
Malik said there is a need to reduce the prison population, adding that many prisoners who are under trial or those eligible for bail for bailable offenses could be released pending trial.
Similarly, inmates who qualify for reprieve for reasons such as age or health could also be released to ease the burden on the prison system.
He cited the example of Ejaz Chaudhry, who has been diagnosed with stage three kidney disease and whose health status is not supported by the prison environment, but whose suspension requests and appeals have not been set for hearing.
He also highlighted that Shah Mahmood Qureshi had been acquitted in all cases in the last three years, but remained jailed due to a couple of outstanding bail issues.
Regarding discouraging false and frivolous litigation, the Chief Justice of Balochistan High Court, who heads the relevant committee, informed the NJPMC that work has been started to suggest a legislative and policy framework in line with the ‘Litigation Costs Act, 2017’ (ICT) and initial consultations have been held.
To make the process more inclusive, it was suggested that draft recommendations be shared with the Ministry of Law and Justice, provincial legal departments and bar councils for feedback.
It was also suggested that the institutionalization of deferral costs be examined.
The NJPMC appreciated the committee’s progress and reiterated its determination that abuse of judicial processes should be discouraged by strict compliance with existing legal and procedural provisions.
The Attorney General of Pakistan, in his capacity as Chairman of the Pakistan Bar Council, assured that the Bar Council would be involved in mechanisms to address the frequent lawyers’ strikes, and that the NJPMC will be informed of the developments at its next meeting.
To provide greater flexibility to families in scheduling visitation, improve parent-child interaction, reduce congestion at visitation facilities, and promote a more child-centered environment within the court system, the NJPMC approved child visitation facilities in district courts during closed holidays, subject to local requirements and administrative arrangements to be determined by the respective superior courts.
