Prison vans 'attack' sparks verbal duelling

The PTI and its provincial government in K-P challenged the federal government and the police' account of a botched attempt to escape by certain prisoners from a police van on the outskirts of Islamabad on Friday.

Federal Information Minister Ataullah Tarar rejected outright the statements of K-P Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and PTI spokesperson Waqas Akram, who accused the Islamabad authorities of staging the "escape drama". Both sides asserted that they possess videos of the incident to support their claims.

"The attack on the prisoner van in Islamabad is a drama of the federal government and the police. The court had ordered the release of PTI provincial assembly members (MPAs), Rescue 1122 officials, police officials and the workers arrested during the D Chowk protest," Gandapur said.

"Then they were arrested in another case and were being transferred to jail. During the transfer, the SHO of Tarnool police station himself stopped the van, broke its windows and unlocked the door and made our arrested workers and MPAs to come down, to portray their escape," he added.

"I have videos, I have proofs of everything," he said, adding: I warn the federal government to bring the prisoners safely to the jail. If anything happened to anyone, SHO Tarnool, district police officer, DIG, IG and home minister will be responsible," he warned.

A similar statement was issued by the PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram. "More than 80 of our people were in the detention van, who were released by a court and re-arrested in another case and were being shifted to Attock Jail," Akram said.

"SHO Shabbir Tanoli stopped the vehicles and broke the windows of the prisoner's van. Tanoli asked our workers to run but they stood there. They were government employees, there were MPAs, they were not escaping," he added.

Tarar, however, vehemently rejected the PTI's narrative, saying that the PTI activists unsuccessfully tried to free their party workers by attacking the prisoner van as part of a well-thought-out conspiracy. "Four people, including son of a PTI MPA involved in the attacks have been arrested," he said.

Tarar said that 82 suspects were sitting in the van. At Sangjani, when the speed of the vehicle slowed, it was attacked by the criminals. "The attack was well-planned. The police fought with bravery and courage and foiled the escape attempt by 19 accused," he said.

"The number of attackers was between 25 and 30," Tarar said. "The 19 escaped prisoners have been taken into custody again. Four people have been arrested and two vehicles and two pistols have been seized," the minister added.

The minister also lashed out at the PTI information secretary. "By describing everything in a movie style, the miscreants lied," he said. "The CCTV footage of the toll plaza is available. The PTI spokesperson should be ashamed for telling such a big lie."

On the basis of evidence, indiscriminate action will be taken against all those involved in the attack, the minister said. He added that if the court had punished the accused of May 9 violence, they would not have had the courage to carry out such attacks.