Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Maryam Nawaz said on Thursday that she spent 24 hours a day in solitary confinement during her imprisonment at Adiala Jail, while addressing the prison reforms conference.
She further added that her experience made her understand the hardships that are faced by prisoners.
Before her speech, a documentary on prison reforms introduced in Punjab was shown at the conference.
Punjab prison reforms
Maryam Nawaz shared her experiences during her time in prison. She added that these led her to introduce several prison reforms in Punjab.
This includes an emergency button for inmates and other modern facilities. She said that all prisoners in Punjab’s jails now have access to video link facilities.
‘I was kept in solitary confinement’: CM Maryam
Maryam Nawaz said that she did not want to make any political remarks at the forum. She said the reforms introduced in Punjab’s prisons were based on what she personally experienced during her time in jail.
She said solitary confinement has a serious impact on mental health and added that only those who have been in prison truly understand its difficulties. Books and a prayer mat were her only companions while she was in jail, she added.
The chief minister said she and her father were imprisoned at the same time. Adding that her mother was seriously ill during that period, but they were not allowed to meet her.
Recalling one incident, Maryam Nawaz said that her blood sugar dropped while she was in prison and no one came to help.
She said a bottle of jaggery slipped from her shaking hands and broke. She picked up the jaggery from the floor and ate it, only to realise it contained pieces of broken glass. She said no one heard her cries in jail.
She also said there was no privacy in her prison cell. According to her, the washroom and sleeping area were in the same room without any partition. Adding that it made it difficult even to find a proper place to offer prayers.
She also said the cell next to hers housed juvenile inmates and that she would hear children crying every day.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, while addressing the Conference on Prison Reforms at the Supreme Court of Pakistan, said her prison reforms stem from her own personal experiences of being behind prison walls. She said the experience changed the way she thinks about justice… pic.twitter.com/HQZNhuYMmi— P Connect (@ConnectingPak) July 2, 2026
