Sindh's IG prisons likely to be removed soon

Govt decides to amend rules to appoint cadre police officers for the post

KARACHI: The chief of the prisons in Sindh is likely to be removed soon.
The government is going to make an amendment, enabling the appointment of a cadre police officer instead of a non-cadre officer for the post of the Sindh inspector-general (IG) of prisons, The Express Tribune has learnt on Tuesday.

"It would not be the first time that a cadre police officer will command the jails in the province," revealed a Sindh government official, requesting anonymity. "We are going to make some amendments in the Rules of Business to appoint a cadre police officer for the post of IG prisons," the official said.



The provincial home department is currently busy in preparing a summary to move it to Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah. Sindh police's district officials, including Mushtaq Shah, Ghulam Qadir Thebo and Yamin late Khan have served as the IG prisons in the past but in 2013, with some amendments, Nusrat Mangan was appointed as the IG prisons.

The officer said that this was the first time a non-cadre officer, Nusrat Mangan, was appointed as the IG prisons. "Cadre police officers have an expertise. They are better as compared to non-cadre officers, which is why we are going to make an amendment." Appointed as the IG prisons in 2013, Mangan has served for 30 years.

The Sindh government is looking for a DIG-ranked Sindh police officer to appoint him as the next IG prisons.



"When an officer from the Sindh police is transferred to the prison, their rank is upgraded to the next level. Who will be the next DIG police for the post of the new IG prisons - it has yet to be decided," an officer explained.

SSP Pervez Chandio, who is currently posted at rural Sindh, will be the new DIG prisons, a source privy to the matter revealed.

The decision has been taken following the recent jailbreak in which two hardcore militants, Sheikh Mumtaz alias Firon and Ahmed Khan, of banned sectarian outfit Lashkar-e-Jhangvi managed to escape from the Central Jail, Karachi. They were involved in the killings of law enforcers, rival sect members and political workers.



Initially, the superintendent of jail and deputy superintendent of jail besides 12 other jail officials and personnel were suspended and arrested over the jailbreak. In a briefing session held at the CM House, Shah had ordered that DIG prisons Ashraf Nizamani should be suspended over the issue.

A case of the jailbreak was registered at the New Town police station where all the 12 jail officials and personnel were arrested. The CM also ordered for the suspension of the New Town police SHO as Shah was informed that the SHO did not register the FIR on the issue correctly.
The CTD is leading the investigation into the jailbreak, but there has been no major breakthrough so far. A notification of the suspension of DIG Prisons and New Town SHO has, however, been issued.

Meanwhile, reacting to the plan for an amendment, the IG jails strongly condemned the government's plan to appoint a cadre police officer. "The escape of the two under-trial prisoners is one such example in these years, especially since I took a charge of IG prisons in 2013," explained Mangan while talking to The Express Tribune.



"However, there are a number of incidents of jail riots and jailbreaks in various jails of Sindh, including Malir, Sukkur and Jacobabad, in which dozens of inmates were killed and escaped which were before my tenure when the cadre officers were the IG prisons," Mangan said.

He stressed that the government should take the matter seriously. "Cadre and non-cadre is not an issue but the issue is the requirements to run the jails. There should be enough strength to run the jails. This is the main reason," he stressed. "When General Headquarters and Naval bases were attacked, did that mean removing the then Army and Naval chiefs?" he questioned.