KARACHI: Presiding over a meeting on jail reforms in Sindh, Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi on Thursday stressed the need to prioritise the cases involving inmates awaiting decisions of their trial for over three years and proposed that mechanism was developed to expedite such cases.

He also underscored the importance of collective efforts to ensure that prisoners were dealt with humanely and in accordance with law.

The CJP also suggested that previous policies on criminal justice reforms were reviewed in order to assess their impact and design future strategies.

He said the objective of the meeting was to collaboratively identify and address systemic issues.

The meeting was held at the apex court’s Karachi Registry and attended by Chief Justice of Sindh High Court Mohammad Shafi Siddiqui, former judge of SHC Justice Irshad Ali Shah, the secretaries of the home and law departments of Sindh, provincial police officer, IG prisons and others.

During the session, a sub-committee was formed to evaluate the current state of prisons in Sindh and propose a comprehensive reform package aimed at enhancing correctional facilities and practices.

The committee will be headed by retired Justice Irshad Ali Shah and chief executive officer of the Legal Aid Society Barrister Haya Emaan Zahid as its coordinator while Abdul Razzaq Raja and Sheikh Abdullah will serve as its members.

The committee has been tasked with developing actionable recommendations to address the challenges being faced by inmates, introducing rehabilitative programmes such as vocational training, mental health support, educational initiatives and to devise strategies for reintegration of prisoners into society after their release.

According to a statement issued after the meeting, the successful provincial models will also be highlighted to encourage replication across other provinces and these recommendations will form a key component of the National Jail Reform Policy ensuring a comprehensive, inclusive and province-wide perspective.

It was the CJP’s maiden visit to the Supreme Court Karachi Registry after taking over as the top judge of the country and during his interaction with the staff, he emphasised the need for exemplary service to litigants visiting the court and directed that every issue of the litigants must be handled courteously and efficiently under the law.

He also desired to set up a front desk to treat litigants with utmost respect and dignity.

Any complaint of rude behaviour would result in action against the delinquent staff/officers, he observed.

The CJP also assured the staff that their grievances including promotion and service related matters would be addressed provided they must uphold high standards of service and courtesy and registrar will visit Karachi Registry for timely resolution of staff’s concerns.

Published in Dawn, December 13th, 2024