The Prime Minister’s Inspection Commission has asked the National Highway Authority (NHA) to arrange a temporary road to Islamabad Model Jail in Sector H-16 before its planned inauguration, as construction of the permanent interchange has yet to begin.
The commission has requested the NHA to revive its earlier proposal for a slip road connecting the jail to Kashmir Highway. The temporary route is intended to provide access for officials, visitors, and other commuters during the inauguration and help prevent traffic congestion.
The issue has remained unresolved for years. The NHA reportedly approved an interchange connecting the jail to Kashmir Highway in May 2016. In April 2018, the Ministry of Interior directed the authority to provide the road link.
Later that year, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) was reportedly asked to build a temporary access road until the permanent interchange was completed. At the time, the jail site was accessible through a dirt track crossing fields, while land acquisition and compensation issues complicated the development.
Despite these earlier plans, the commission has now renewed its request for a temporary solution as the facility approaches opening.
The Islamabad Model Jail project has faced repeated delays. In July 2024, the federal government moved to accelerate construction, with the CDA expected to take over the project from the then Public Works Department.
Media reports in September and October 2026 indicated that the government planned to inaugurate the facility in October and that the first phase had been completed.
The completed phase reportedly includes three barracks with capacity for around 1,500 inmates, a 35-bed hospital, and other facilities. The jail is expected to reduce Islamabad’s reliance on Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi for housing prisoners from the capital.
The latest request highlights the need for the NHA, CDA, and other relevant departments to resolve the access issue before the jail becomes operational. While the temporary slip road could address immediate requirements, construction of the planned interchange remains a separate, longer-term concern.
