TTP plotting prison break in Faisalabad: Report

Abducting SP Central Jail Faisalabad cornerstone of plan.

LAHORE:

Militants belonging to the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) are planning an attack on Central Jail Faisalabad to secure release of their high-profile accomplices imprisoned there.

Intelligence reports, circulated to the Punjab Home Department, office of Inspector General Police and Inspector General of Prisons Punjab, have warned that terrorists belonging to the TTP (Tariq Afridi group) plan to abduct Superintendent Central Jail Faisalabad Tariq Mahmood Khan Babar in order to carry out the jailbreak plan.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Inspector General of Prisons (IGP) Punjab Mian Farooq Nazeer confirmed the reports and assured that foolproof security measures were being put in place to foil any terrorist bid to secure release of their accomplices.

In order to ensure security at prisons and in light of the successful Bannu jailbreak earlier in the year, the Punjab Home Department has requested the ministry of interior to ensure deployment of Rangers at all 9 central jails.

Additionally, IG police has revealed that Punjab government has allocated Rs200 million for installation of jammers at central jails in the province. Three central jails are expected to have operational jammers by the end of the month to cope with emerging threats in the province.

Similarly, in an attempt to equip jail staff to deal with terrorist threats, the first batch of 100 jail staffers will be joining Elite Commando Training Course on September 1, 2012. This process is expected to continue for each batch of commando training during the course of the year.

However, in light of the immediate security concerns, jail authorities have conducted thorough search operations in jails and recovered 2,000 mobile phones from prisoners. In this regard, 65 jailers have been suspended for demonstrating negligence in performing their duties.

Currently, more than 300 high-profile terrorists are incarcerated at 9 central jails in the province, amounting to 90 per cent of all high-profile prisoners imprisoned across the country. The Punjab government is expected to take serious note of threat assessment made by intelligence agencies and ensure tight security protocols are put in place to deter terrorist activity in the province.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 28^th, 2012.