ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday expressed concern over prolonged delays in Islamabad Model Jail in Sector H-16.The IHC was hearing a petition for hearing seeking the immediate activation of the Islamabad Model Jail in Sector H-16, The case will now be heard by Justice Azam Khan of the IHC on May 7.
The case was listed after the court granted a miscellaneous application seeking an early hearing.The petition has been filed by Advocate Azhar Siddique on behalf of Judicial Activism. It requests directing the federal government to immediately activate the Islamabad Model Jail and release necessary funds.
The plea also seeks strict action against those responsible for the unusual delay in the jail project. Furthermore, the petitioner has requested that all information and documents pertaining to the jail project be presented before the court under Article 19-A of the Constitution.
The petition contends that keeping inmates of Islamabad in Adiala Jail Rawalpindi causes serious administrative and logistical difficulties. It notes that the Islamabad Model Jail project was initiated in 2009 but has suffered from lack of funds and persistent delays.
The jail complex is spread over 90 acres of land in Sector H-16 and has a capacity to house 2,000 prisoners.It also includes a 22-bed hospital, a school, a library, an auditorium, and separate barracks for women and children. The plea also highlights the broader issue of overcrowding in Pakistani prisons, stating that currently 88,687 prisoners are incarcerated against a total capacity of 65,168 across the country’s jails.
