Thwarting plans: Amid threat, central prison inmates shifted

The TTP has planned to attack the largest jail facility in Sindh, says one prison official.


Our Correspondent August 28, 2012

KARACHI: After intelligence reports of a possible attack on Karachi Central Prison surfaced, almost half of the high-profile militants confined at the largest jail facility in Sindh have been transferred to other prisons in the province.

Security at the prison, which houses over 3,000 inmates, has been tightened and Rangers as well as police are guarding the entrance. Iron sheets have been placed around the flyover near the jail, blocking it from the view. The prison’s main gate has been barricaded.

A jail official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the “precautionary” measures were taken to disrupt any plans made by the militants. “We transferred the prisoners to break their collective strength,” he said. “They were regrouping and we spilt them to weaken them.”

Around 55 of the115 inmates belonging to terrorist outfits, including the TTP and the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, have been sent to different prisons in Sindh. In the first round, around 29 prisoners were sent to the Hyderabad jail. In the latest episode, around 26 prisoners were sent to the central and district jails in Sukkur. Soon after the inmates were transferred, the Hyderabad jail started receiving threats as well.

Back in April, Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) Pakistan had attacked the Bannu jail, breaking free 384 inmates. This is the second time since the incident that the Karachi jail has received threats of a jailbreak. According to jail officials, there are reports that TTP’s Mohammad Suleman will launch an assault on the prison. “Despite the transfer, the risk of the attack remains. No one knows when it will come,” said one jail official.

A Sukkur jail official, Zafar Qureshi, said that this is the first time that so many terrorists have been brought to the facility. “They are being kept separately and so far, they have not created a ruckus. Strict security measures are in place and there is no chance of escape.”

Published in The Express Tribune, August 29th, 2012.

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