Home Minister reviews 85% of complete facilities and says new prison will offer full medical care amid row over Imran’s health.
Combined image of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan and Home Minister Mohsin Naqvi. PHOTO REUTERS/RADIOPAK
ISLAMABAD:
Home Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Friday indicated that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan could be shifted to the new Islamabad model jail under construction.
The project, originally launched in 2011, has faced continued delays for the past 14 years. Its initial estimated cost of Rs 3,900 crore has risen to Rs 18,200 crore and is expected to cross Rs 20,000 crore by the end of January 2026. The Islamabad Model Jail is being built on 90 acres of land in sector H-11. The prison is planned to have the capacity to house 2,000 inmates.
Last year it was decided to partially activate the prison before December 31, 2025, completing emergency Special Barracks No. 3. The high security barracks was meant for the transfer of PTI founder and former Prime Minister Imran Khan from Adiala Jail, where he is lodged. currently imprisoned. However, the special barracks could not be completed, which once again delayed its move.
Speaking to the media after a visit to the under-construction prison, the Home Minister was asked if Imran would also be shifted to the new facility, to which he replied: “If he has been sentenced by Islamabad, then he will come here. People [sentenced in] Islamabad will be brought here.”
Talking about the jail facilities, Naqvi said it would have complete medical facilities, including an advanced hospital. He said all the facilities would be available in the new jail.
Naqvi’s comments come amid a political storm surrounding Imran’s health. Earlier today, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said the government would not allow negligence in Imran’s eye examination and medical treatment, adding that arrangements would be made where ordered.
Read more: Islamabad model jail misses completion deadline, cost likely to exceed Rs 20 billion from original Rs 3.9 billion
PTI lawyer Salman Safdar on Thursday submitted a report ordered by the Supreme Court after meeting the former prime minister in Adiala jail earlier this week. Imran informed Safdar that his right eye was now functioning at only 15% of its capacity after he underwent a medical procedure at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences last month.
Subsequently, a two-member court comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi and Justice Shahid Bilal Hasan ordered that Imran be granted access to his personal doctors in Adiala Jail and be allowed telephone contact with his children. Revelations about his eye condition sparked outrage among opposition ranks and other politicians.
The Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz-e-Ain Pakistan group also staged a sit-in outside Parliament House, vowing to continue the protest until Imran was admitted to a hospital in Islamabad. Protest leaders said no compromise would be made on the PTI founder’s health.
Inspection of prison facilities
The Minister of the Interior today visited the prison and the hostel for new officers in training at the National Police Academy, where he reviewed progress on key security infrastructure and training projects. Officials informed him that the jail project had achieved 85% progress in phase one and was expected to be operational within two months.
Read: Damning SC report on Imran’s health sparks political storm
The facility will feature dual security walls, a digital monitoring system and a centralized control room. During his inspection, Naqvi visited the barracks and expressed satisfaction with the pace and quality of construction, ordering authorities to speed up the work through double shift operations.
The Home Minister also inspected the model hostel room being constructed for trainee deputy commissioners at the National Police Academy and issued directions to ensure high standard accommodation for police officers. He noted that improved infrastructure at the academy would improve the quality of police training across the country.
Designed to house both convicted prisoners and detainees undergoing trial, the facility includes large separate barracks for women and youth detainees. It will also have a school for staff children, a 22-bed hospital for inmates and staff, a mosque, an imambargah, a church, a library and an auditorium.
The cost of the project increased due to persistent delays and sharp increases in construction material prices. Over the years, multiple meetings on the project were held during the terms of former prime ministers.
