Mobile jammers to be installed in prisons

KARACHI:

Jail officials in Sindh have decided to install mobile jammers in several prisons of the province to cut off communication between prisoners and their militant groups, it was reported on Wednesday.

The decision taken by the government and jail officials aims to curb planned attacks on prominent personnel. Though jails officials have denied it, law-enforcement agencies believe that the attack on Justice Maqbool Baqar was planned by Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) activists serving sentences at the Karachi Central Jail.

Karachi Central Jail superintendent Kazi Nazeer Ahmed told The Express Tribune in the first phase, jammers would be installed in the central jails of Karachi, Hyderabad and Sukkur, followed by the same in Khairpur and Larkhana jails. He was of the view that this would be an effective step to bring down the security threats from militants executing attacks on jails to get their accomplices freed. Such decisions have been taken in the past too, but residents have objected.

Bombproof walls

Other security measures which the officials of the Karachi Central Jail, where around 100 high-profile prisoners are confined, are considering include building a protective concrete boundary wall inside the premises. “This wall would be bombproof. Even if terrorists blow up the outer wall, they won’t be able to get inside the jail because of this protective wall.”

Around the residential localities, officials are erecting check posts to monitor the movement of people passing through the areas. New watchtowers are also being built as the deployment has increased. Meanwhile, security cameras have been installed inside the meeting areas of prisoners and outside the prison gates.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 31^st, 2013.