A meeting was held under the chairmanship of Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan on prison reforms and progress on Quetta Safe City project.
Provincial Home Minister Mir Ziaullah Langau, Parliamentary Secretary Information Bushra Rind, Chief Secretary Balochistan Capt. (Retd) Fazeel Asghar, Additional Chief Secretary Home Hafiz Abdul Basit, IG Police Balochistan Mohsin Hassan Butt, Finance Secretary Khan Buledi, Law Secretary Dr. Akbar Harifal, Information Secretary Poet Irfan Gharshin, Secretary Minerals Zafar Bukhari, Secretary IT Yawar Hussain, Commissioner Quetta Division Asfandyar Kakar and other officials participated.
Briefing the meeting, the Additional Chief Secretary Home Affairs said that under the reform program for better management of prisons, provision of health facilities, skill development, religious and formal education and better food to the inmates in all the prisons of the province.
In addition, a PMS system will be installed at a cost of Rs. 100 million for the timely sharing of information with the courts and relevant government departments.
The meeting was informed that the government has sanctioned about Rs. 50 million for setting up a training institute in Machh Jail and steps are also being taken to set up a video library in the jails.
The Secretary IT apprised the meeting about the progress on the Quetta Safe City project and the problems in the revised PC-1 and TORs of the project. He said that the revised PC-1 and TORs by Nespak have been received on November 25.
In 2020, the PMU has received a detailed review of which revealed that there is a lot of ambiguity in PC-1.
Expressing his views, the Chief Minister said that the Quetta Safe City project is important for the security of the city. Expressing his concerns over the delay in the project by Nespak, he said that these concerns should be brought to the notice of Nespak immediately.
“Delays by such a large body in this important project are not acceptable,” he added.
The Chief Minister said that this is a huge project and it needs to be completed soon.
The Chief Minister directed to expedite the process of reforming the prisons and said that in consultation with the Health Department and medical experts, the Home Department would immediately initiate a summary for the SNE for the creation of permanent posts of relevant doctors in the prisons to avoid dependency on other departments. Department to also process the case for the independent and need-based supply of medicines to the prisons to avoid dependency on MSD.
The Chief Minister directed that the Home Department coordinate with the Labour Department and Social Welfare Department for the establishment of a vocational training center in the premises of the central prison for imparting skills in modern trades to the inmates. Home and Labour Departments to coordinate and see the possibility of inclusion of prisoners in latter’s “Hunarmand Program” for skill development so that they could become productive members of the society.
He directed that the proposals for improving the living conditions of women and juvenile prisoners to be also included in the said summary.
The Chief Minister also directed to make some changes in the jail manual to provide living facilities and especially good food to the inmates in the jails.