Interior minister reviews 85% complete facility, says new prison will offer full medical care amid Imran health row
Combination image of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi. PHOTO REUTERS/RADIOPAK
ISLAMABAD:
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Friday indicated that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder and Imran Khan may be shifted to the new under-construction Islamabad Model Jail.
The project, originally launched in 2011, has faced continuous delays over the past 14 years. Its initial estimated cost of Rs3.9 billion has gone up to Rs18.2b and is expected to cross Rs20b by the end of January 2026. The Islamabad Model Jail is being constructed 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 jail by December 31, 2025, by completing Special Barrack No. 3 on an emergency basis. The high-security barrack was intended for the transfer of PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan from Adiala Jail, where he is. currently incarcerated However, the special barrack could not be completed, delaying his transfer once again.
Speaking to the media after a visit to the under-construction prison, the interior minister was asked whether Imran would also be moved to the new facility, to which he said, “If he has been sentenced 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 an advanced hospital. He stated that every facility would be available at 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 afford no 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 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 he underwent 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 granted access to his personal physicians in Adiala Jail and allowed telephone contact with his sons. The revelations about his eye condition sparked outrage among opposition ranks and other politicians.
The Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz-e-Ain Pakistan also staged a sit-in outside Parliament House, vowing to continue the protest until Imran was admitted to a hospital in Islamabad. Protest leaders said no compromise would be made on the PTI founder’s health.
Inspection of jail facilities
The interior minister visited the jail and the new trainee officers’ hostel at the National Police Academy today, where he reviewed progress on key security and training infrastructure projects. Officials briefed him that the jail 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 stirs political storm
The facility will feature dual security walls, a digital monitoring system and a centralised control room. During his inspection, Naqvi visited the barracks and expressed satisfaction over the pace and quality of construction, directing authorities to accelerate work through double-shift operations.
The interior minister also inspected the model room of the hostel being built for under-training assistant superintendents at the National Police Academy, issuing instructions to ensure high-standard accommodation for police officers. He observed that enhanced infrastructure at the academy would improve the quality of police training nationwide.
Designed to accommodate both convicted prisoners and under-trial detainees, the facility includes separate large barracks for women and juvenile detainees. It will also feature 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 cost escalated due to persistent delays and a steep rise in construction material prices. Over the years, multiple meetings regarding the project were held during the tenures of former prime ministers.
