ISLAMABAD, Dec 2: The government has a plan to build four new women jails in the country, including one in Rawalpindi at a cost of Rs40.934 million, during the current financial year, says Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao.

In a written reply to a question of People's Party Parliamentarians (PPP) Senator Rukhsana Zuberi, the interior minister informed the Senate about the projects under consideration of the government to increase accommodation and other facilities in women prisons during the current financial year.

Mr Sherpao said the government had a plan to construct women jails in Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Quetta and Jalozai (NWFP). He said the preparation of the PC-1 and acquisition of land was in process for construction of the women jail in Quetta.

Besides, he said, the government also had a plan to construct a female ward at Central Jail in Rawalpindi at a cost of Rs3.360 million. Similarly, he said, construction of 32 death cells, two barracks for 60 prisoners each and provision of toilet facilities at the women jail in Multan at a cost of Rs21.836 million was under consideration.

The estimated cost of the construction of women jail in Faisalabad is Rs50.355 million. Mr Sherpao said a proposal for the construction of two barracks for 100 inmates and five cells were in process at the women jail in Karachi. However, he said, there was no shortage of accommodation in other women prisons of Sindh.

In NWFP, the minister said a female section at the Central Prison, Haripur, was being constructed and a new women jail at Jalozai on Pabbi-Charat Road for the accommodation of 200 female prisoners was under consideration.

He said steps were also being taken to remove accommodation problem of female prisoners and to provide them facilities of medical, education, vocational training and recreation in all the four provinces.