Three staffers remanded into CTD custody

They are being questioned regarding their involvement in prisoners’ escape

KARACHI: The anti-terrorism courts’ administrative judge in Karachi remanded on Monday three central jail staffers into Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) custody for four days. The staffers are being interrogated regarding their involvement or negligence that may have helped two under-trial prisoners escape.

The CTD presented assistant superintendent Ayaz Salik, deputy superintendent Amjad and head clerk Naveed before the administrative judge and submitted that the staffers were taken into custody after their alleged role surfaced during the investigation.

The investigation officer, DSP Zahid Hussain, requested the custody of the suspects for questioning. The judge granted him four days to interrogate the staffers and sought a progress report on the next hearing.

Two members of terrorist group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Shaikh Muhammad Imtiaz alias Firoun and Muhammad Ahmed Khan alias Munna, escaped from the ATC complex located inside the jail premises on June 13.



Following the report of the incident, Prison’s IG Nusrat Mangan suspended central jail superintendent Ghulam Murtaza Shaikh, deputy superintendent Faheem Memon, assistant superintendent Abdul Rehman Shaikh, ASI Faroosh Muhammad, police commando Nawab Ali and constables Atta Muhammad, Muhammad Amir, Abdul Ghafoor, Saeed Ahmed, Muhammad Sajjad, Taigal Naseer and Nadir Ali.

The suspended officials were subsequently booked under sections 223 (escape from confinement or custody negligently suffered by public servant), 224 (resistance or obstruction by a person to his law apprehension), 225 (resistance or obstruction to lawful apprehension of another person), 225-A (omission to apprehend or sufferance of escape on part of public servant) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code, 1860 at the New Town police station on the directives of the prison authorities.

These officials were arrested by the police and sent to jail on judicial remand by a District East judicial magistrate. Later, the investigation of the case was handed over to the CTD and it has recently obtained permission to interrogate the 12 suspects inside the jail.



Meanwhile, the ATC-VIII issued notices to the prosecution to submit its reply in bail applications for three of the 12 staffers. The court asked the prosecution to appear and submit its argument on July 7.