LAHORE, March 24: The Punjab government has constituted a jail reforms committee headed by Law Minister Raja Muhammad Basharat.

The decision to form the committee was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi here on Monday.

The committee will have the provincial home secretary, the inspector general (IG) of jails, the law secretary, retired judges and officials, and representatives of human rights organizations in it.

The committee has been set up for rehabilitating jail inmates after their release and for improving the existing conditions in jails in the province. The committee will form recommendations for changing the existing jail manual to improve prison conditions that will be submitted to the provincial cabinet for its consideration and approval. The recommendations will, later, be presented before the provincial assembly for legislation.

The meeting also decided to increase the monthly allowance of jail wardens by Rs800 and to provide fans and water coolers in all prisons before the commencement of May. The chief minister directed the provincial finance minister to release funds for the purpose.

He also directed the jail authorities to provide quality food and medicines to inmates, promising to enhance the allocation for the purpose.

He further directed the authorities to stop putting up more than three condemned prisoners together in one cell. He expressed his concern over reports that seven to eight condemned prisoners were being kept in one cell.

FOREIGN MINISTER: Foreign Minister Mian Khursheed Kasuri called on the chief minister and discussed the ongoing US-led strikes on Iraq and their possible fallout for the world peace and economy and Pakistan.