Crackdown begins into illegal phone use in jails
Authorities at Haripur Central Jail on Sunday launched a search operation to identify prisoners in illegal possession of phones. The move comes a day after an intelligence agency’s report revealed that imprisoned terror suspects were breaking the law and using mobile phones in their cells.
Officials of the Home and Tribal Affairs Department of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) told The Express Tribune that a search operation had been conducted inside the prison to confiscate cell phones from the prisoners and prevent them from communicating with their associates. They said the operation had been conducted by the jail administration with the help of local police, adding that it was a surprise operation to prevent the prisoners from hiding their phones and other banned items.
Giving details of the recovered items during the search operation, officials claimed that 135 mobile phones, 72 mobile phone chargers, 22 batteries, 24 headphones, 8 electric heaters, two electric rods, four knives, 50 grams of hashish and 25 grams of heroin were recovered.
Officials added that the operation was conducted only in the male section of the prison, while female prisoners’ cells and the factory area of the prison will be searched today (Monday).
When contacted, K-P Prisons Inspector General Khalid Abbas confirmed the reports, saying that similar discreet operations would be conducted in prisons across the province in the near future to identify those prisoners who were flouting laws.
“Unfortunately the prison department could not conduct such operations before and prisoners were openly using mobile phones, but we have now planned to rectify the situation. It will take time but I assure you, we will do it,” Abbas claimed.
Abbas added that the process of installing jammers inside the prisons will be completed in six months. “Once jammers are installed, mobile phone signals will be jammed and prisoners will not be able to use their devices,” he concluded.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 9th, 2012.
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We have read similar articles in the past --- your police and jailers are corrupt so why should anyone be surprised that jailed terrorist have ready access to cell phones?
@Wonderful: yeah right x-Army people...and how do you know...let me guess...you are guessing...
It may have been better to let them use the phone and track their phone calls.
Crackdown! Another hyprocracy; a dishonestly designed action...
Why not take to task the jailors in whose jurisdiction all is going on since long? It is not only the cell phones, but also the narcotics, lethal arms, drugs. Pakistani prison houses are are super markets, and jail authorities proprietors.
What a joke!!!
Read the details of recoveries in above news report and then they surprise of jail bracks. Any way good try to clean and implement the law. Keep doing it please on the other part of the country.
I can't think of many prisons where they'd even have a small chance at using a cell phone in the first place. The guards should be fired and charged with true treason. Cell phones aren't hard to find contraband. It takes conscious neglect and cooperation with enemies.
Extremism has been embedding in the majority of the civil populace along with institutions. Just look at the make-up of DPC. So many ex-Army people.
Hog wash. Jail departments in all the provinces are in open collusion with the prisoners, especially the most dangerous one. Jail department is rarely monitored, not by media and not by courts. Normally the session judge has the inspection and monitorig powers, but these are mostly used for human rights of the prisoners rather than to inspect the security and management of the jail. Even with the jammers installed, we can bet that the most dangerous one will remain coneccted.