LAHORE: Justice Muhammad Farrukh Irfan Khan of Lahore High Court (LHC) sought progress report within two weeks from provincial government about construction of new jails in the Punjab. The judge expressed concern over the Punjab government’s failure to present a progress report about jails’ construction. The judge observed that the prisons’ population continued to rise, but not a single jail project had been completed during the last 10 years. The judge also directed the government to appoint women doctors in jails for women and children prisoners and ensure that the barracks of women and men in the jails should be segregated. The judge earlier had constituted a committee to ensure that the development work being conducted for the jails in Hafizabad, Narowal, Shujabad, Rajanpur and Khanewal was completed within two months. Advocate General of Punjab Shakilur Rehman Khan headed the committee the other members included DIG (prisons), additional secretaries of home, communication and works, planning and development and finance departments as its members and petitioner’s counsel Syed Moazzam Ali Shah. So far no progress had been made in the under construction projects of jails. The court came to know that the committee had not held its meeting for the last six months to oversee the projects. The judge had also appointed senior lawyer Waqas Qadeer Dar as local commission with direction to inspect progress about construction of the new prisons. The judge issued the directions while hearing a petition moved by Rida Qazi aimed at improving the conditions prevailing in jails and to provide proper space and cells according to humanitarian requirements. Kasur police: Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi of the LHC on Friday rejected a report submitted by Kasur Police about the incidents of sexual molestation in the area. Published in Daily Times, February 10th 2018.