Prison break: Improved security at jails urged

Jails in Rawalpindi, Bahawalpur and Faisalabad declared particularly vulnerable to militant attack.

LAHORE:

The intelligence agencies have called for improved security at three jails in the Punjab in the wake of recent attacks by militants on prisons to release their colleagues.

Intelligence reports forwarded to the police and jail authorities of the Punjab government state that prisoners in Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi, still frequently use mobile phones; that security devices such as walkthrough gates and CCTV cameras are out of order at Bahwalpur Central Jail; and that the superintendent of Faisalabad Central Jail has been threatened with abduction.

The reports state that around two weeks ago, an Adiala jail had inmate used a mobile phone to inform a member of a banned jihadi group that there were 25 high-profile prisoners in the same prison, including those accused of killing former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and of attempting to assassinate former dictator General (retired) Pervez Musharraf. The intelligence agencies feared a possible attack on the jail similar to an attack on a prison in Bannu earlier this year.

At Bahwalpur Central Jail, the intelligence reports state, most security devices are out of order, including walkthrough gates at the entrance. “There are no satisfactory arrangements for the checking of items/articles of prisoners inside the jail. The scanner machine has been out of order for four years,” they state.

The reports state that two of the 10 cameras installed at the jail are out of order. The working cameras run live, but their footage is not recorded. There is no arrangement for emergency lights. There is a shortage of staff, arms and ammunition. Many of the available weapons are out of date. Staffers are not trained to deal with a terrorist attack. Prisoners in Bahawalpur are also using mobile phones since there is no jammer.

The reports state that there could be a clash at the jail between Abdul Raheem and Shakir Shamsi, members of two rival militant groups. They state that there are 21 high profile “terrorists” imprisoned in Bahawalpur.

The reports called for tighter security measures at Faisalabad Central Jail, which also confined several men accused in terrorism cases. They said that the jail’s superintendent had recently been threatened with abduction by a militant group.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 27^th, 2012.

Pilgrims continued to visit the urs in thousands. Festival will include horse riding and camel shows, majalis, qawali sessions and lectures by religious scholars.

Earlier, on Tuesday, the urs was inaugurated by Aulakh and Qureshi. They washed the mausoleum with rose water.

The urs is being organised after four years. It had been suspended in 2007 following terrorism threats from the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 27^th, 2012.