Over 19 prisoners escape from AJK jail

Absconders include 10 awaiting death penalty, serving life sentences

MIRPUR:

As many as 19 prisoners, including six on death row, escaped from Rawalakot District Jail on Sunday, official sources reported.

Inspector General of Prisons, Azad Jammu Kashmir Bader Muneer confirmed the shocking development.

"Further investigations into the incident are in progress to ascertain further details and determine the jail staff responsible for this major negligence and dereliction of duty," the IG added in a brief statement to the news agency.

According to immediate details gathered by this correspondent, the escape occurred when the prisoners were being moved from their barracks for lunch. The escapees, convicted of various serious crimes, including murder, hail from different parts of Azad Jammu Kashmir.

The jail staff reportedly failed to prevent the escape.

Among those who fled were Saqib Majeed, Usman Afraz, Shameer Azam, Amar Abdullah, Faisal Hameed, and Nazir Yasoon, all of whom were awaiting death sentences.

Additionally, the escapees included Nouman Asif, Asif, and Saqlain Sarfraz, who were serving 25-year life sentences for murder. Mukarram Faisal, Sajid Naseer, and Suhail Rasheed, serving 10-year sentences for various crimes, also managed to evade custody during the incident.

Furthermore, Naseebullah and Ghazi Shehzad, both under trial at the time, seized the opportunity to escape. Among those under trial for murder were Faizan Aziz, Usama Murtaza, and Immama Mustafa.

During the escape, Hayam Saeed, who was serving a 5-year imprisonment, reportedly sustained injuries.