The evolving journey of Adiala Jail

The journey of the Rawalpindi District Jail — now Adiala Central Jail — has completed 142 years, marking a significant chapter in its history. Over the years, Rawalpindi Central Jail has relocated four times.

Initially, when Rawalpindi was a small town, the jail was located at Committee Chowk, Teli Mohalla Road, near Triangle Road. After a brief period, it moved to the current Education Secretariat. In 1882, the jail was established at its present location near Jinnah Park and the Judicial Complex, covering 84.4 acres, where it remained for 104 years.

This historic prison held numerous freedom fighters from the independence movement, who were brought here from cities like Lahore, Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Indian Punjab, Dhaka, and Chittagong by the British. The adjacent ancient, abandoned cemetery contains the graves of these freedom fighters.

Notably, Allama Mashriqi was also imprisoned here. During that time, prisoners were escorted to court on foot, as there were no police vehicles for court transports. Now, due to the jail’s distance, 12 vehicles and five special vans are used, costing millions in monthly fuel expenses.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) founder and former prime minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was also imprisoned there and executed on April 4, 1979. After his execution, General Ziaul Haq decided to erase the jail’s historical significance by constructing a new one. In 1988, the old jail was demolished, and part of the land was converted into a housing society, while a police training college was established.

Following protests by the PPP, Jinnah Park was built on part of the land. The Judicial Complex was later built on the police college’s site, and the new Rawalpindi Central Jail was established near Adiala Village, about 13km from the Rawalpindi courts.

Adiala Jail gained global recognition when Prince Charles of the United Kingdom (UK) visited it, where British national Mirza Tahir, convicted in a murder case, was awaiting execution. During this visit, President Pervez Musharraf commuted his death sentence to life imprisonment and later sent him back to the UK. The jail became internationally known again after the execution of Mumtaz Qadri, the assassin of Punjab Governor Salman Taseer, and during the trial of the eight suspects involved in the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

The Adiala Jail, completed in 1986, spans 100 acres and initially accommodated 1,927 prisoners. This capacity was expanded to 2,700 and later to 3,500 in the third phase.

Currently, the jail holds over 6,000 prisoners, with the number fluctuating by 200 to 300. It is considered Pakistan’s most sensitive jail, housing high-profile individuals like American plane hijackers, the eight Mumbai attack suspects, Lashkar-e-Taiba’s Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, former prime ministers Mian Nawaz Sharif, Yousaf Raza Gillani, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, President Asif Zardari, model Ayan Ali, and more.

Today, it is most famous for housing the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan, and his wife, Bushra Bibi. The jail is equipped with separate wards for women, children, and VIPs, along with three execution chambers, a mosque, a church, an imambargah, a library, a computer centre, a sewing centre, a factory, farmland, and sports fields.

Former Deputy Superintendent (DS) of Adiala Jail, Chaudhry Ayub, emphasizes the high security of the facility, noting the need for the Islamabad Jail to be completed promptly for easier management. According to Ajab Gul, an ex-prisoner, bribes ensure the availability of all types of prohibited food and beverages, with prices being double those in the market. If one has money, even a mobile phone contact is easily arranged.

Since the detention of the PTI founder, the jail’s security system has been tightened, with thorough cell checks and rigorous procedures.