Under-trial share rose from about 66% in 2017 to 73.41% in 2024.
Source
NCHR — https://nchr.gov.pk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/prison-data-report-2025.pdf. Verified in source set / retroactive normalization pending.
What it proves
Reliance on detention persisted despite reform discussions.
What it does not prove: A rising under-trial share is a ratio within the prison population, so it can climb because convicted prisoners were released or fewer convictions were recorded, not only because more people were detained pre-trial. The 2017 figure is an approximate 'about 66%' set against a precise 2024 73.41%, so the roughly seven-point rise should be argued as a direction of travel, not a decimal-grade trend.
Memory hook: 73.41% → three in four prisoners are held without any conviction
Rebuts the claim: "Overcrowded prisons are a construction problem that new jails will solve" — the growth is in un-convicted detainees, so bail and case disposal, not capacity, is the binding constraint.