Interior minister reviews 85% complete facility, says new jail will offer full medical care amid Imran’s health row
Combination photo of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi. PHOTO REUTERS/RADIOPAK
ISLAMABAD:
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi indicated on Friday that the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Imran Khan may be shifted to the new Islamabad Model Jail that is under construction.
The project, initially launched in 2011, has faced continuous delays over the past 14 years. Its initial estimated cost of Rs3.9 billion has increased to Rs18.2b and is expected to cross Rs20b 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 a capacity to house 2,000 inmates.
It was decided last year to partially activate the prison by 31 December 2025 at the latest by completing Special Barracks No. 3 in case of emergency. The high security barrack was meant for transfer of PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan from Adiala jail where he is. currently imprisoned However, the special barracks could not be completed, delaying his transfer yet again.
Speaking to the media after a visit to the under-construction jail, the interior minister was asked if Imran would also be moved to the new facility, to which he said: “If he has been convicted by Islamabad, then he will come here. The people [sentenced in] Islamabad will be brought here.”
Discussing the jail’s facilities, Naqvi said it would have complete medical facilities, including a state-of-the-art hospital. He said all facilities would be available in the new jail.
Naqvi’s remarks come amid a political storm surrounding Imran’s health. Earlier today, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said the government would not allow any negligence in Imran’s eye examination and medical treatment, adding that arrangements would be made wherever ordered.
Read more: Islamabad Model Jail misses completion deadline, cost likely to cross Rs20b from original Rs3.9b
PTI’s counsel, Advocate Salman Safdar, submitted a Supreme Court-mandated report on Thursday 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% capacity after undergoing a medical procedure at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences last month.
Subsequently, a two-member bench comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi and Justice Shahid Bilal Hasan ordered that Imran be allowed access to his personal doctors in Adiala jail and allowed telephone contact with his sons. The revelations about his eye disease sparked outrage among opposition ranks and other politicians.
Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz-e-Ain Pakistan also staged a sit-in outside the parliament building and vowed to continue the protest until Imran was admitted to a hospital in Islamabad. Protest leaders said there would be no compromise on the PTI founder’s health.
Inspection of prison facilities
The Home Secretary visited the prison and the new officer trainee hostel at the Police College today, where he reviewed progress on key security and training infrastructure projects. Officials briefed him that the prison project had now achieved over 85% completion in phase one and was expected to become functional within two months.
Read: Damning SC report on Imran’s health raises political storm
The facility will have double security walls, a digital surveillance system and a centralized control room. During his inspection, Naqvi visited the barracks and expressed satisfaction over the pace and quality of construction and directed the authorities to speed up the work through double-shift operation.
The Home Secretary also inspected the model hostel room being built for under-training of Assistant Inspectors at the National Police Academy and issued instructions to ensure high standard accommodation for police officers. He noted that improved infrastructure at the academy would improve the quality of police training nationwide.
The facility is designed to house both sentenced and pre-trial prisoners and includes separate large barracks for women and juvenile prisoners. It will also contain 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 project’s costs escalated due to persistent delays and a steep rise in construction material prices. Over the years, several meetings were held on the project during the tenure of previous Prime Ministers.
