Amended ordinance allows CM to appoint prisons IG, DIG

Acting Sindh Governor Owais Qadir Shah on Wednesday signed the newly amended Sindh Prisons and Corrections Amendment Ordinance 2025, which has changed prison laws following the Malir jailbreak.

Officials said that the under the amended ordinance, the chief minister will appoint the prisons inspector general and the deputy inspector general. Officers can be appointed from the Pakistan Administrative Services, Police Services and provincial services.

Moreover, the chief minister can now appoint officers in 21 and 20 grades. However, the assistant inspector general of Grade 18 and the prison superintendent will be appointed by the minister for prisons. Senior superintendent and superintendent will be appointed from administrative or police service.

A signed ordinance said, “The Sindh Prisons and Corrections Services Act: whereas, it is expedient to amend the Sindh Prisons and Preamble Corrections Services Act, 2019, in the manner hereinafter appearing; and whereas the Sindh Assembly is not in session and the governor is satisfied that the circumstances exist which render it necessary to take immediate action; Now, therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred under clause (1) of Article 128 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1973, the governor is pleased to make and promulgate the following ordinance.

“This ordinance may be called the Sindh Prisons and Short title, Corrections Services (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025. It shall come into force at once. In the Sindh Prisons and Corrections Services Act, 2019, hereinafter referred to as the said Act, in section 15, for sub-section (1), the following shall be substituted.

“The inspector general shall be appointed by the chief minister from amongst the deputy inspectors general of the service or from amongst BS-21/20 officers of the Pakistan Administrative Service, Police Service of Pakistan or Executive Provincial Civil Service or Provincial Management Service."

It further said: “Amendment to Section 15 of Sindh Act No.X of 2019. In the said Act, for Section 16, the following shall be substitution of substituted; deputy inspector general and assistant general. The deputy inspector general shall be appointed by the chief minister from amongst the officers BPS-20 of the service or from amongst BS-20/19 officers of the Pakistan Administrative Service or the Police Service of Pakistan or the Executive Provincial Civil Service or the Provincial Management Service and shall perform such functions in the manner as prescribed under the rules.

“The assistant inspector general shall be appointed by the minister for prisons from amongst the BPS-18 officers of the service and shall perform such functions in the manner as prescribed under the rules."