Overview
- The Islamabad Declaration was adopted on July 2 at a Supreme Court‑hosted National Conference and binds the four chief ministers to coordinated, province‑level prison reform plans with agreed targets.
- Chief Justice Yahya Afridi framed prison improvement as a constitutional duty of provinces and stressed that court rulings must be followed by effective implementation and accountability across police, prosecution, prisons and courts.
- Punjab moved fastest to translate commitments into action by approving Rs1.3 billion for new jails, setting September deadlines for two facilities, expanding barracks and introducing panic buttons, audio/video visits and prison industries.
- Political leaders used the forum to press specific detention issues, with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s chief minister calling for immediate reforms at Adiala Jail and better family access and medical care for Imran Khan, which has heightened scrutiny of implementation.
- Officials and rights groups warn major obstacles remain: prisons run well over capacity with roughly 73–75% under‑trial inmates, provincial monitoring bodies and time‑bound enforcement rules are still being built, and progress will hinge on sustained resourcing and cross‑agency coordination.