Punjab launches first prison de-radicalization programme

Lahore – In another major milestone under Chief Minister Punjab’s Prison Reforms Agenda, the Government of Punjab has decided to launch Pakistan’s first comprehensive de-radicalization programme aimed at rehabilitating prisoners and preventing violent behaviour.

Under the initiative, De-radicalization Centres will be established in all prisons across Punjab, where inmates and prison staff will undergo psychological assessments, counselling and training on non-violent behaviour.

A high-level meeting chaired by Secretary Home Punjab, Dr. Ahmad Javed Qazi, was held at the Home Department to review the proposed framework for prisoner rehabilitation, de-radicalization and behavioural reform in Punjab’s prisons.

The meeting was attended by Inspector General Prisons Mian Salik Jalal, Chief Coordination Officer Punjab Centre of Excellence on Countering Violent Extremism (CoE-CVE) Ghulam Sagheer Shahid, Additional Secretary Prisons Roman Burana, Deputy Coordination Officer Dr. Ahmad Khawar Shahzad, Professor of Psychiatry at King Edward Medical University Prof. Dr. Ali Madeeh Hashmi, Executive Director of Punjab Institute of Mental Health (PIMH) Prof. Ayesha Rashid, Chief Psychologist Prisons Sadia Zafar and AIG Judicial Dr. Qadeer Alam.

Director National Institute of Psychology, Islamabad, Dr. Rubina Hanif, UNODC Counter Terrorism Advisor Syed Arslan, and Assistant Professor of Psychology at Government College Women University, Sialkot, Dr. Nimra Ishfaq, joined the meeting via video link and briefed the participants.

The meeting decided that De-radicalization Centres would be established in all Punjab prisons where psychological assessments and behavioural evaluations of both inmates and prison staff would be conducted. In accordance with the National Policy, the centres will provide structured training on non-violence to prisoners and prison personnel.

Special counselling programmes will be designed for inmates involved in terrorism-related offences, prisoners exhibiting violent tendencies and habitual offenders. The program will also identify inmates vulnerable to violent extremism and actively involve their families in the rehabilitation process.

Meeting participants were informed that treatment and rehabilitation plans would be developed after evaluating each inmate’s personality, behavioural patterns and mindset. High Security Prison Sahiwal, Camp Jail Lahore and District Jail Sheikhupura have been selected for the pilot phase of the programme.

Monthly progress reports will be prepared for participating inmates, while counselling and rehabilitation sessions will continue until their release. Secretary Home Punjab Dr. Ahmad Javed Qazi directed the Prisons Department to prepare a comprehensive training manual for the programme.

He described the initiative as the first of its kind in Pakistan and said it would mark a significant milestone in prisoner rehabilitation and the prevention of violent behaviour. He further directed that specialized rehabilitation models should be developed in line with Pakistan’s religious, social and cultural values.

Dr. Qazi also instructed the formation of a dedicated team comprising experts from the Punjab Prison Training College, Sahiwal, and qualified psychologists to implement the programme effectively.

The Secretary Home emphasized that the mental well-being of prison staff involved in rehabilitation efforts must also be safeguarded. He expressed confidence that the rehabilitation models developed in Punjab would serve as a valuable reference for other provinces in strengthening prison reforms and countering violent extremism.