![the writer is senior sub editor at the express tribune the writer is senior sub editor at the express tribune](https://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/584635-AtikaRehmanNewK-1375289436.jpg)
This is not a one-off incident. Two days prior to this attack, 10 inmates escaped from the same jail after attacking police wardens, although seven of them were recaptured; last year in April, a massive jail break in Bannu saw nearly 400 prisoners escape; Karachi has also recently silently witnessed criminals slip away … some from the toilet and others from court premises. And these are just a few of the recent security lapses at jails. What on earth is going on?
If you zoom into to the nitty gritty realities of jails and the police personnel that man them, you’ll realise that the picture is a sordid landscape of low salaries, poor fitness and little or no training when it comes to a proactive approach to an emergency situation. Clearly, with their sophisticated weapons and strategies, the terrorists are better-equipped, smarter or more motivated than prison authorities. We have all read the stories about phones being used by inmates. There was recently even a story about how an FC officer would throw a cell phone to an inmate at the Karachi Central Jail, who would return it after making his call. The scanners and security gates don’t work, the police officers have no clear schedules for mobile patrolling and their weapons are outdated. Now, let’s ask some serious questions: how are militants able to obtain police uniforms? Are security officials sympathetic towards criminals? How is the enemy able to launch an attack of this scale and precision without inside help?
Our governments’ collective failure to address these perpetual lapses is yet another telling sign that we are not taking the militant threat seriously. The millions of dollars that we are given to fight this war are being misused; what else is one to believe if it is so easy for terrorists to attack obvious targets like military bases and prison cells, smash PC-3 Orions and rescue their fighters?
The recently leaked OBL commission report underscores the disconnect between intelligence agencies and local police authorities. It highlights that the failure of agencies to provide actionable intelligence to civilian security officials is part of why the world’s most wanted man lived in Abbottabad for years. But in the DI Khan case, a report published in Dawn suggests that detailed intelligence was given to the police and the provincial home secretary in a letter marked “Threat Alert 699”. As a result of this, mock exercises and standard operating procedures were reportedly chalked out. The report even cites a senior official as saying, “On paper, everything was worked out meticulously to prepare for both day and night assault. It was a video game played out in real time.” Then what happened? The horse was dragged to the water but it didn’t drink.
The federal government needs to investigate the matter after bringing the provincial government on board and question why, if indeed this attack was known prior to its execution to our security agencies, nothing was done to prevent or counter it. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak’s statement that it was an intelligence failure is all very convenient but, in light of this report, is misleading. For once, institutions need to stop playing the blame game. Whoever is responsible for allowing this brazen attack should be taken to task to avoid such disastrous and embarrassing debacles in the future.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 1st, 2013.
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COMMENTS (24)
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I want to bring some key points to the knowledge of sub-editor 1-A suicide attack was attempted on Ex-DPO D.I.Khan on 14th Jan 2013. He is still on the hit list of TTP (confirmed by intelligence reports as they said that DPO office may be attacked).
2-Out of 40 top notch extremists belonging to TTP that guy (DPO) arrested 13 from DI Khan ncluding Qari Bilal.
3-He has been made OSD and all security has been taken back. Now if TTP again make him target who will be responsible.
4.He served in that district for almost 3 years where none of the officers have even served for more than 18 months...
@Hasan Mehmood
Spot on buddy, you are joining the dots logically (probably I'm an ill informed simpleton to endorse your view too, just like ya) but an attack which stretched over 2 - 3 hrs & the attackers having been engaged the Army in different parts of the country (that's what they say), its weird that no real-time counter measures/reinforcements were initiated by the Army. Very weird indeed. Gunship copters, tactical vehicle ambush, straight out shoot to kill reply attack (or was THIS the problem i.e. asset love?) Very strange.
@Asaf: Well said. The only excuse for Army staying put because they were not requested to intervene by provincial authorities. But that is total crap. The attackers and the freed include those who have regularly beheaded army jawans so the army cannot simply sit back and relax unless I am missing something. The fleeing caravan of dozens of vehicles was an easy target for gun ship helicopters but maybe I am just an ill informed simpleton.
People, please stop blaming the military for DIK jail debacle. You are all so shrewd to understand that there is an army facility with-in walking distance from the prison. Yet you fail to note that NO fighting units are housed there, as of now, as all the units have been deployed in FATA. The cantonment has just enough security to defend itself, not nearby areas, which fall under the jurisdiction of KPK government.
As regards the fact that military could have deployed its elite units to thwart the jail attack (as said by Asaf), dear sir, military goes by the book. The KPK government had already been forewarned about impending assault, and they could have requested military assistance BEFORE the attack took place. As far as our Constitution goes, that seems the only right way.
@arifq, good one, apt for the situation. success is never in confused state.
I fail to understand what the government and security agencies are doing. This is getting beyond ridiculous. They can't possibly be this lazy or apathetic. What is the real reason?
What is the problem in getting Police Uniform made,Does not TPP has a tailor amongst them
Thank you for so eloquently expressing what I've have been thinking these last couple of days.
MONOPOLY indeed
dil waale dulhaniyaan le jaaeynge
As usual blame game started and the matter ends till a new incident occurs, without a proactive step.
It was just a barat.
If ever, anyone is going to be blamed, its not going to be anyone of substantive authority. Some lowly prison official, underpaid, undertrained, underresourced and overworked is going to land in trouble.
definitely PTI govt in KPP helped the militants to attack the jail and free the prisoners....Imran khan and J.I. are protalibans....
I am seriously disappointed in KP govt. I voted for Imran but am ashamed that i picked PTI over ANP that had a solid stance on terror and murder
Good piece. A commission needs to be formed. Not a useless commission like the last government but a functional commission that actually outlines issues and faults people. The current govt needs to oversee this
Confused politicians, confused media, confused security personnel, confused people of Pakistan. The only party not confused is TTP.
Well written article, however one wonders as to how many people in Pakistan have really taken note of recent events and its consequences. In regards to the above article, this is a failed state with nukes and that's the only focus that Global Community should really have and as to how to tackle it. The rest of the mechanism's of the state are simply charade and nothing more, as none can be ever trusted for anything by anyone, as too many promises worldwide have been broken and yet there is always that deniability without shame ! This Monopoly has been played by the nation ever since its inception, no matter who was in charge.
A hard-hitting but fair Op Ed by ET, thanks. You have touched the subject of low morale as a result of very low salaries and min training and equipment as the basis of police failure. These lowly paid policemen are not given any respect or perks compared to army. Who is going to give their life away for the kind of salaries and treatment police get? No matter what the failure is from Abbottabad, Mehran base to DIK it always becomes police’s fault. How could police touch a VIP home in an army base? The serious incidents from Abbottabad to Salala to DIK have proved that it would be at least two hours in the night before our army or air force would come into action after the assault is completed. At the first sign of any of the above facility even a watchman (if not asleep) can use his cell phone to call his higher bosses and it should not take hours. The US can find and kill the top terrorist even in our army base but we cannot trace the long two way travel of hundreds of terrorists.
It is pure abdication of military duties and response. Lets concentrate on “Threat Alert 699” report. Who wrote this report? Why they did not depute military units to engage this rather large group of 150 heavily armed men knowing fully well that police, provincial paramilitary forces and jail authorities were not capable of meeting that challenge? This country is fighting a war in its tribal areas which have essentially been ceded to the enemy. Suppose, for arguments sake (hope that never happens), our MI or ISI comes across information that 150 Indian army soldiers from Amritsar border area are about to attack a jail in Lahore to free their soldiers from it. What do you do with that information? Send it to provincial civil authorities and police? No, you activate your best army and its intelligence units to thwart that incursion, given the size of that hostile force. Police and jail authorities are not raised and equipped to fight battles, that job is for the army, which in our case is putting the burden on civilian law enforement, as usual. The results are obvious for everyone. Please do post this remark.
Thats all you can expect from a police force, 95% whom are political Sifarshis appointed by MNAs/MPAs in return for bribes. This is a 65-year burden & PTI must share responsibility too. Heads should definitely roll at police level as well as administration level.
Despite the advance warning, how were the militants able to close in on the jail with all their strength (150+) and a large number of vehicles (that would be required to transport the freed prisoners back) without encountering any checkpoint of sorts (what was the warning for?), stay at the site for 2 to 3 hrs (with blasts and gun shots going off no doubt) without any help / reinforcements coming from nearby army / police bases (to investigate the noise at least?) and then leave as a large caravan of 400+ people (150+ fighters and 250+ prisoners) without being challenged or passing any checkpoints and disappear into the night? Same modus operandii as the Bannu jail break!! Something is very fishy - this is beyond incompetence; has to be collusion from within the army / police / govt.
Nothing wrong in what you have said. A long as the police and local security are ued for personal gain by our politicians and they are not depoliticied in order to work independently, things will just get worse (if that is possible)
Definitely this is the failure of PTI's government in KPK........