Prisons Inspector General Mian Farooq Nazir said on Sunday the government was working on prison reform.
He said 12 new jails were being set up in Narowal, Mianwali, Sahiwal, Hafizabad, Shujabad, Lodhran, Rajanpur, Okara, Bhakkar, Pakpattan and Layyah. He said Rs10 billion had been budgeted for the project. He said the prisons would accommodate 11,500 prisoners.
Talking to newsmen at Sialkot International Airport, he said prison officials had recovered 6,430 mobile phones, 1,292 SIMs and 1,418 mobile phone chargers from prisoners in recent searches.
He said administrations of central jails of Gujranwala, DG Khan and Jhang were imparting marketable skills training to prisoners.
He said some other prisoners were being trained in carpet weaving and efforts were being made to start football manufacturing at Gujranwala central jail.
He said adult literacy centres had been established to facilitate 13,500 illiterate prisoners in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Sahiwal, Faisalabad and Bahawalpur jails.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 21st, 2014.