April 16, 2026
By Rehan Piracha
LAHORE
When Jabbar Khan* was taken into custody by the police, he was just 19, he was not prepared for what awaited him inside prison. He recalls, how isolating and devoid of purpose his life behind bars. His mental health deteriorated rapidly, with no productive outlet to stem the tide of anxiety and despair.
“I faced severe mental and psychological challenges,” he says. “The prison environment left me isolated from society, and without any meaningful activities, worsening my mental health. My doctor recommended that I should indulge in some kind of productive work to improve my mental well-being, but in jail there were no opportunities available.”
But that changed when he enrolled in a vocational training programme. Run by the Human Development Organisation (HDO-Pakistan), it taught him the craft of making crafts using beads— rosaries, bangles, rings, necklaces, tissue boxes and pouches. The was something that transformed his life.
“This programme introduced me to a new world of creativity and purpose, giving me a much-needed outlet to channel my thoughts and energy.”
A different life
Today, Jabbar earns between 5,000 and 10,000 Pakistani rupees a month through his craft — enough to cover his day-to-day expenses and restore a measure of financial independence.
“The programme has not only improved my mental and emotional health but has also instilled a sense of hope for a better future after my release,” he says.
Jabbar’s story is one of thousands that HDO-Pakistan has sought to write differently. The Peshawar-based rights organisation, working since 2005, has now partnered with the Haripur police to formally expand its rehabilitation model to ex-detainees in the district — marking what officials describe as a first-of-its-kind initiative in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s prison reform landscape.
The initiative was announced by Haripur District Police Officer (DPO) Shafiullah Khan Gandapur, who outlined the rationale behind the collaboration at a recent press briefing attended by HDO Director Programmes Muhammad Ahsan Khan and social worker Muhammad Zaigham Khan.
“We hate crime but not the individuals,” the DPO said, adding that the programme was being introduced under the vision of KP’s Inspector General of Police. “Enforcement of law and order is aimed at protecting the life, honour and property of citizens, but the protection of fundamental rights and human dignity are also priority areas of the police department.”
The joint initiative will provide psychological rehabilitation sessions to individuals who have either completed their jail sentences or whose cases are currently at the trial stage — targeting the critical window before and immediately after release, when the risk of reoffending is highest.
Community integration
HDO’s approach goes beyond conventional counselling. Muhammad Ahsan Khan, the organisation’s Director Programmes, describes it as a holistic, rights-based model that addresses the full arc of detention — from police custody and imprisonment through to community reintegration.
“Mostly, drug addicts are repeaters and are put behind bars again and again rather than being placed in rehabilitation centres,” he told Voicepk. “Similarly, drug peddlers and robbers are repeaters.”
The model operates across two critical phases. That is rehabilitation during detention, and post-release reintegration through community-based support. In practice, this means a combination of trauma counselling, medical care and referrals, legal aid, vocational skills training, and social reintegration.
According to Khan, HDO currently delivers these services across Hazara Division’s prison network, including facilities in Abbottabad, Mansehra, Haripur and Battagram. The organisation says it supports between 500 and 1,000 trauma survivors annually through its various programmes, with similar interventions already implemented across other districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Its influence has also been felt at the national policy level. HDO played a notable role in advocacy efforts that contributed to the passage of the Torture and Custodial Death (Prevention and Punishment) Act, 2022 — and is currently pushing for the development of a national policy on the reintegration of ex-detainees, a gap that advocates say leaves thousands without formal support upon release.
The hidden trauma of first-time offenders
While the lapse back to crime of drug addicts and repeat offenders remains the most visible problem, advocates working inside the criminal justice system say the psychological damage inflicted on first-time offenders is often overlooked.
Robina Shaheen, a women’s protection officer at the AGHS Legal Aid Cell, has spent decades providing free legal assistance to prison inmates. She paints a bleak picture of what awaits those who enter custody for the first time. “Many of them suffer mental anguish while in the company of hardened criminals in the lockup,” she told Voicepk.
The ordeal rarely ends at the lockup. Transfer to formal prisons, she says, is frequently accompanied by verbal abuse from jail wardens. Once inside, newly arrived inmates are vulnerable to bullying by seasoned criminals who press them into running errands. For young detainees in particular, the risks are graver still. “For young offenders, there is a high likelihood of them being sexually assaulted and molested in prison, and they remain silent due to the shame associated with it,” she said.
The cumulative toll, Shaheen warns, can make reintegration into normal life feel impossible. “In some cases, the mental trauma is such that inmates face great difficulty in turning to their normal lives upon release from prison.”
It is precisely this population that HDO and Haripur police say they are trying to reach. Whether this pilot can be scaled across KP’s wider prison system remains to be seen, but for individuals like Jabbar Khan, the intervention has already proved its worth. “I now feel more relaxed, empowered, and satisfied with my life,” he says. “Each time I create a beads-craft article, I feel a deep connection to my loved ones, my culture, and the life I was separated from.”