Staff Report
PESHAWAR:A landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed today between the Inspector General of Prisons Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Department of Criminology, University of Peshawar. The signing ceremony was held at the Vice Chancellor’s Secretariat, University of Peshawar.
The ceremony began with the recitation of the Holy Quran. Vice Chancellor of the University of Peshawar, Prof. Dr. Johar Ali, welcomed the guests and expressed his delight in hosting Inspector General of Prisons KP, Mr. Muhammad Usman Mehsud, with whom he shared a history of positive interactions. Dr. Johar Ali acknowledged the significant efforts of Assistant Professor Dr. Muhammad Ibrar in facilitating the development of the MoU.
Chairman of the Department of Criminology, Prof. Dr. Basharat Hussain provided an overview of the MoU and elaborated on the procedural journey leading to the establishment of the Department of Criminology at the University of Peshawar. He announced the department’s plans to initiate MPhil and PhD programs in the upcoming fall semester, subject to the approval of the NOC. Currently, more than 300 students are enrolled in the department’s BS Criminology program.
Dr. Basharat Hussain emphasized the importance of this MoU, which will open avenues for student internships within the prison system, foster research facilitation between the department and the Inspectorate General of Prisons, and introduce accredited courses that may be utilized as promotional qualifications for prison and law enforcement officials in the future. He also expressed appreciation to Mr. Muhammad Usman Mehsud for his responsiveness and support, particularly noting that earlier attempts to sign a similar MoU with the police department did not yield a positive response.
Inspector General of Prisons KP, Mr. Muhammad Usman Mehsud, in his address, extended his sincere gratitude to Prof. Dr. Johar Ali, Prof. Dr. Basharat Hussain, and Dr. Muhammad Ibrar for their efforts in initiating this collaboration. He emphasized that the MoU reflects a shared vision and has been designed to serve both academic growth and administrative excellence. Mr. Mehsud underscored the critical importance of cooperation between academia and public institutions in order to improve systems and create long-term, sustainable impact.
He proposed the formulation of Standard Operating Procedures for effective implementation of the MoU. He also suggested the inclusion of online lectures by faculty for the staff of the Haripur Prison Staff Training Academy, engagement of prison staff in events organized by the Department of Criminology, and the regular sharing of student-led research findings and recommendations with the KP Prisons Department. Mr. Muhammad Usman Mehsud confirmed that the MoU had received formal approval from the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Johar Ali further endorsed the idea of making the proposed accredited courses a requirement for the promotion of executive officers in the prisons department. Responding to this, Chairman Prof. Dr. Basharat Hussain explained that the MoU includes not only accredited courses but also provisions for curriculum revisions at prison training schools, to be reviewed by a committee.
Dr. Johar Ali concluded the ceremony by describing the MoU as part of a broader institutional vision to strengthen ties between academia and the criminal justice system, and to contribute to reshaping the public perception of prisons in the province.
The MoU was formally signed by Prof. Dr. Johar Ali, Mr. Muhammad Usman Mehsud, and Prof. Dr. Basharat Hussain, marking a significant step forward in academic-government collaboration for the betterment of criminological education and prison administration in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
