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Committee for the Welfare of Prisoners

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Committee for the Welfare of Prisoners

CWP is a gov. funded, privately managed non-profit organization working to protect the rights and welfare of prisoners across Sindh. Estab. of Sindh | Member
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in 2004 as a pilot project at the Women’s Prison, Karachi, under the chairpersonship of Justice Nasir Aslam Zahid. The Committee for the Welfare of Prisoners (CWP) is a government-funded, privately managed non-profit organization working to protect the rights and welfare of prisoners across Sindh. Established in 2004 as a pilot initiative at the Women’s Prison, Karachi, under the chairpersonship of Justice Nasir Aslam Zahid, the Committee began by providing legal aid and rehabilitation support to women and juvenile prisoners. Over the years, CWP’s scope expanded to include male prison facilities across Sindh, transforming into a model public–private partnership for prison reform. With the continued support of the Home Department, Government of Sindh, CWP now operates in 24 prisons across Karachi, Hyderabad, Larkana, Sukkur, Dadu, Khairpur, Sanghar, and Shaheed Benazirabad. CWP’s work focuses on providing free legal aid, legal awareness, and welfare assistance to underprivileged and under-trial prisoners, many of whom are first-time offenders. The Committee also supports juvenile inmates, women prisoners, and children living with their mothers in prison, offering education, health, and rehabilitation support to improve their reintegration prospects. As a unique public–private model, CWP contributes to Sindh’s criminal justice system by promoting speedy trials, fair representation, and humane prison management, reducing the burden on an already overcrowded system. The Committee operates under the Government of Sindh and was notified under Section 55 of the Sindh Prisons and Corrections Services Act, 2019. Its members include senior government officials, legal experts, and civil society representatives:
1. Justice (R ) Arif Hussain Khilji | Chairman
2. Inspector General Sindh Prisons & Corrections Service | Member
3. Representative, Auqaf, Religious, Zakat & Ushar Department, Government of Sindh | Member
4. Representative, Law, Parliamentary Affairs & Criminal Prosecution Department, Gov. Mohammad Khan (Legal Expert/Civil Society) | Member
6. Parwaiz Ahmed Qureshi (Legal Expert/Civil Society) | Member
7. Barrister Haya Emaan Zahid (Legal Expert/Civil Society) | Secretary

06/09/2026

6th September – Defence Day

Little hands, big love for Pakistan! 💚
The Children at Early Learning center, Women Prison Karachi marked Youm-e-Difa through creativity, colors, and heartfelt tributes to our heroes.

24/08/2026

Independence Day at Women’s Prison Hyderabad — Dignity, Rehabilitation and Hope 🇵🇰

The Committee for the Welfare of Prisoners (CWP), in collaboration with the Sindh Prisons & Corrections Service, Home Department, Government of Sindh, marked Independence Day at the Women’s Prison & Correctional Facility, Hyderabad, under the theme “Unity • Dignity • Hope.” The programme was coordinated by Mr Danish Ahmed Soomro, Advocate High Court, with a focus on rehabilitation, skills, legal awareness and meaningful opportunities for women in prison.

Mr Fayaz Hussain Abbasi, Commissioner, Hyderabad Division, joined as Chief Guest and visited the Early Learning Centre, Sewing Centre, Adult Literacy Class, Computer Class and Sensory Garden. Appreciating the work of CWP and the prison administration, he also formally handed over industrial-grade sewing machines and two embroidery machines to strengthen vocational training and livelihood skills for women prisoners.

The occasion brought together Ms Abida Sami Abbasi, Superintendent / Officer In-Charge, Women’s Prison Hyderabad; Dr Fareed Qasim, Chairman, CPLC Hyderabad; Mr Hissam Baig, Deputy Chairman, CPLC Hyderabad; Ms Rehana Nazir Gujjar, Vice President, High Court Bar Association Hyderabad; Ms Syeda Qurat Shah, In-Charge, Safe House Jamshoro; Ms Samina Abbasi, Deputy Director, Women Development Department; Ms Shazia Aslam, In-Charge, Dar-ul-Aman; and Mr Muzamil Mughal, Advocate High Court, alongside members of the legal fraternity and civil society.

For CWP, Independence Day carries a purpose beyond celebration: to ensure that dignity, education, skills, access to justice and the hope of a better beginning remain within reach for those behind prison walls.

30/07/2026

The Chairperson of the Committee for the Welfare of Prisoners (CWP), Justice (R) Arif Hussain Khilji, made his first official visit to District Prison Thatta on 25th July 2026, accompanied by the CWP team, at the invitation of the Superintendent, Mr. Mazhar Ali Behan.
The delegation was cordially welcomed by Mr. Mazhar Ali Behan and his team, who warmly received the Chairperson and extended their full support to the CWP's work. The visit was aimed at assessing prisoners' legal needs and exploring ways to strengthen their access to legal services.
During the visit, CWP lawyers interviewed prisoners, reviewed their cases, and obtained around 60 vakalatnamas to extend further legal assistance.

20/07/2026

Until this week, the barracks at the Youthful Offenders Industrial School (YOIS), Hyderabad, had no large screens. This week, Mr. Ishrat Ali Lohar, Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and former President of the High Court Bar Association Hyderabad, and Mr. Zain-ul-Abdin Sahito, former Library Secretary of the High Court Bar Association Hyderabad, contributed the facility's first two screens — now bringing educational and recreational programming into the spaces where the boys spend most of their day.

Both donors acknowledged the leadership of Justice Arif Hussain Khilji, Chairperson CWP, and the continued efforts of the CWP team and prison administration in sustaining rehabilitation, education, and skills programming at YOIS.

04/07/2026

In June, we visited 22 prisons across Sindh with free legal aid and advisory camps. Over 1,100 undertrials and prisoners walked through sessions designed for them—no barriers, no fees, no silence about their rights.
264 vakalatnamas were filed. 331 people received direct legal counsel. These aren't numbers. They're prisoners who learned what the law owes them. They're detainees who discovered they don't have to navigate the system alone.
Prison walls exist. Legal access shouldn't. Every person behind bars deserves to know their rights, fight their case, and push for justice. That's what access looks like.

02/07/2026

LED televisions were handed over to the authorities of the Women's Prison, Hyderabad, and installed in the barracks to meet the recreational needs of women inmates. The initiative is intended to provide constructive engagement, reduce isolation and offer moments of relief within the custodial environment.

The televisions were presented through Mr Imdad Unar, Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and former President of the District Bar Association. During his visit to the Women's Prison, he also visited the CWP-operated Early Learning Centre, Sewing Centre and Sensory Garden, along with the LAS Basic Literacy and Computer Classes.

Mr Imdad Unar appreciated the efforts being made to promote learning, skills development, dignity, rehabilitation and the overall wellbeing of women inmates.

15/06/2026

Nine months locked up for a charge that unraveled the moment we started asking questions. Abdul Jabbar couldn't afford a lawyer when he reached out to us in January 2026—his case had stalled completely. We took it on.
Our counsel methodically cross-examined every witness. Contradictions emerged: conflicting statements about the arrest, no video record of the alleged recovery, witnesses who were all police officers. The legal violations were systematic—procedure after procedure ignored. The court saw it all. The prosecution's case collapsed under scrutiny.
On 23 April 2026, Abdul Jabbar walked free. Acquitted. Nine months of unlawful detention ended because someone finally held those responsible to the law. This is what justice looks like when the system works as it should.

08/06/2026

Pakistan's Juvenile Justice System Act 2018 recognizes something important: children are not the same as adults. The five protections shown here exist because children deserve a chance to change and grow, not just punishment. But these rules often stay in documents while children in real police stations and courts don't get these protections.

Every child on trial deserves their own courtroom, not to be locked up before trial, and the chance to stay home and change their behaviour instead of going to prison. Protecting a child's name and identity is not just kindness, it means we believe they can have a different future. When these rules are ignored and children are treated like adults, justice fails them.

Children have the right to fair treatment. These protections must actually happen.

02/06/2026

Abdul Sami spent months behind bars not because he was guilty, but because he couldn't afford to prove he wasn't. Without legal representation, the contradictions in the prosecution's case went unchallenged. The complainant changed his story between the FIR and the courtroom. The alleged robbed cash never turned up in Abdul Sami's possession. A key witness never appeared in court.

The truth was visible but no one was arguing it. Then CWP Advocate Waqar Mallah took the case. He filed the vakalatnama, built the defence, and put every contradiction before the court. The court acquitted Abdul Sami, finding the charge unproven beyond reasonable doubt. Justice was always within reach. Affordability was the barrier and CWP removed it.

Address

Block C, 1st Floor, FTC Building, Shahrah-e-Faisal
Karachi
75350

Opening Hours

Monday	09:00 - 17:00
Tuesday	09:00 - 17:00
Wednesday	09:00 - 17:00
Thursday	09:00 - 17:00
Friday	09:00 - 17:00

Website

https://www.lao.org.pk/

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