The officials, however, played down any possible links between al-Qaeda and the breakouts. DESIGN SUNARA NIZAMI
KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) granted on Friday more time to the prosecutor-general (PG) to continue with his arguments in support of the provincial government's appeal, challenging grant of bail to three former jail officials over the escape of two militants from the Central Jail, Karachi.
On June 13, the prisoners, Shaikh Mohammad Mumtaz alias Firaun alias Sher Khan and Mohammad Ahmed Khan alias Munna, said to be associated with banned militant group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, had escaped from the central jail. The three officers, Prison Superintendent Ghulam Mustafa Shaikh, Deputy Superintendent Faheem Anwar Memon and Assistant Superintendent Abdul Rehman Shaikh, were arrested for negligence in the aftermath of the incident.
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A case was registered against the jail officers for their alleged negligence and the escaped undertrial prisoners under Sections 223 (escape from confinement or custody negligently suffered by public servant), 224 (resistance or obstruction by a person to his lawful 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 in cases not otherwise provided for ) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code at the New Town police station. Later, the Counter-Terrorism Department, which is investigating the case, also added Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act in the FIR.
However, an anti-terrorism court, later, granted bail to the three officers against a surety of Rs100,000 for each.
Challenging their bail through an appeal, PG Shahadat Awan argued that the escape of two prisoners was a serious matter, which could not be taken lightly. The three officers are booked in a case registered against them under the charges of negligence and facilitating terrorists, he told the court.
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The top prosecutor further argued that the ATC's order of granting bail to the accused is liable to be set-aside. He pleaded to the court to cancel the bail granted to the three officers.
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