Security dynamic: Haripur Central Prison imposes ban on interview of prisoners

Black warrant against Niaz Muhammad to be issued soon.

HARIPUR: Haripur Central Prison authorities have imposed a ban on interview of prisoners for an indefinite period.

Jail administration officials informed The Express Tribune visits to inmates of all categories have been banned following security threats to jails where terrorists on death row have been held. The ban will remain effective for an indefinite period, they said.

Haripur Central Prison has over 1,900 inmates, including convicts and prisoners awaiting trial. Over 30 women and their children are also at the jail.

According to jail administration officials, there are 141 prisoners convicted on charges of terrorism, out of which six are on death row.

To the gallows

A black warrant for the execution of one of the six convicts will be issued over the next few hours.

Niaz Muhammad, who was among those convicted for the attack on former president Pervez Musharraf’s convoy, has been held at the prison.

Earlier, on Friday, the provincial government said Muhammad would be executed in the next two days.

Muhammad will be transferred to Peshawar Central Prison as there are no gallows at Haripur jail. He will be executed in Peshawar. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has lifted a six-year moratorium on execution of convicts in terrorism cases in the wake of the attack on Army Public School.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 21^st, 2014.