Abbottabad: Special Assistant to the Chief Minister on Prisons, Iftikhar Ullah Jan, visited Central Jail Haripur on Wednesday, where he inspected various departments and inaugurated several new facilities and development projects.
He was accompanied by Special Assistant for Tourism and Culture, Malik Adeel, Member Provincial Assembly, Akbar Ayub Khan, and Inspector General of Police, (IGP) Prisons, Rehan Gul Khattak.
During the visit, officials briefed the delegation that the prison currently housed around 1,100 inmates and has introduced modern security systems, digital governance, NRTC integration, a virtual court, pharmacy, Outpatient Department, diagnostic medical facilities, and a production laboratory. They also said Central Jail Haripur was now the third prison in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, after Peshawar and Mardan, to have its own website.
The delegation was informed that the total approved cost of ongoing Annual Development Programme (ADP) schemes and two new projects stood at Rs 342 million, of which Rs153 million has already been spent, while overall progress has reached 55 percent.
The Special Assistant also inaugurated the Shaheed Zahir Sports Arena, the Staff Officers’ Mess, and the renovated Prison Industry Showroom.
Addressing officials, Iftikhar Ullah Jan directed that prison records be fully digitised, vocational training and prison industries be expanded, rehabilitation programmes for drug-dependent inmates be strengthened, and the vacant dentist post be filled without delay.
He also called for examining the transfer of low-risk prisoners to jails closer to their homes to facilitate family visits.
He said the government was committed to transforming prisons from detention facilities into centres of reform, rehabilitation, education, and skill development. During the visit, he also reviewed facilities for women and juvenile inmates, distributed commendation certificates among prison staff, while IGP, Prisons Khattak presented honorary souvenirs to Iftikhar Ullah Jan and Malik Adeel.