KARACHI: The Pakistan Rangers, Sindh, on Saturday claimed to have arrested four ‘hardcore militants’ allegedly linked with banned Lashkar-i-Jhangvi, who had planned suicide bombing on a Youm-i-Ali procession, a spokesperson for the paramilitary force said.
Acting on a tip-off, the Rangers arrested four suspects in Baldia and Orangi Town.
“The held suspects were extremely wanted terrorists of the outlawed LJ,” said the spokesperson, adding that the suspects had completed planning for a suicide attack on the Yaum-i-Ali procession.
The Rangers official said that a suicide jacket, 15 kilograms explosive material, 18 hand grenades, two Kalashnikovs with 429 rounds, a .444 gun and seven 30-bore pistols with 35 rounds and a computer were seized from their possession.
The officer did not identify the held suspects. They were being interrogated, he remarked.
‘Removal from service’ law probe proposed
The home secretary has recommended an inquiry against the 12 arrested jail officials under the Removal from Service (Special Powers) Sindh Ordinance-2000 to determine their role in the recent escape of two hardcore militants from the Central Prison, it emerged on Saturday.
Official sources told Dawn that Home Secretary Qazi Shahid Pervez submitted a summary to Sindh Chief Secretary Rizwan Memon for constituting an inquiry committee to ascertain the role of Ghulam Murtaza Shaikh, Senior Superintendent Prisons, Faheem Anwar Memon, Deputy Superintendent Prisons, Abdul Rehman Shaikh Assistant Superintendent Prisons, Faroosh Mohammad ASI Prisons, Nawab Ali, senior prisons constable Atta Mohammad, and prison constables Nasir Ali, Mohammad Amir, Abdul Ghafoor, Saeed Ahmed, Mohammad Sajjad and Tagial Naseer in the escape of Shaikh Mumtaz, alias Phiron, and Ahmed, alias Munna.
The hardcore militants, who had been arrested four years back by the counter-terrorism department of police for killing more than 60 people including several police officials, workers of a party and Shia community members, had escaped from the judicial complex inside the jail.
In an initial report about the incident, IG Prisons Nusrat Mangan had stated that apparently from prima facie evidence the 12 jail officials were allegedly involved in this ‘heinous crime’, said the sources familiar with the development.
They added that the home secretary in a summary to the chief secretary suggested that an enquiry committee be constituted under Section 5 of the “Removal from Service (Special Powers) Sindh Ordinance 2000” to ascertain and determine the role of prison officers and officials in the said escape.
Proposed terms of references of the committee would be following: to conduct enquiry into and ascertain the causes of the escape of two UTPs from Central Prison on June 13 and to fix individual responsibility on the officers/officials in connection with the escape of UTPs.
The committee would be required to submit its report within 15 days positively to the chief secretary after its formation.
The sources told Dawn that the home secretary proposed the name of Special Secretary (Prisons) Abdul Wahab Memon to lead the probe body that would comprise Additional Secretary (Prisons) Ghanwar Ali Leghari and Additional Secretary (Admin) Dr Badaruddin Shaikh.
In his note on the home secretary’s summary, Sindh Minister for Prisons Ziaul Hasan Lanjar proposed that instead of Special Secretary (Prisons) Abdul Wahab Memon, Additional IG of CTD Dr Sanaullah Abbasi be appointed as ‘inquiry officer’ along with CTD SSP Omer Shahid Hamid and officer in charge of the TTIG Raja Umar Khattab. He stated that notification of the inquiry body be issued under Section 5 of the removal of service law.
Terror charges
Meanwhile, the CTD that was tasked to investigate the jailbreak incorporated Section 7 of the ATA (anti-terrorism act of 1997) into the FIR registered against the 12 jail officers and the two militants, said DIG CTD Amir Farooqi.
DIG Farooqi who was leading the CTD investigation team told Dawnthat the jailbreak by the hardcore militants was a heinous crime but the district east police had not booked them under terror charges in the FIR registered against the jail officials and the militants at the New Town police station on Thursday on a complaint of DIG Prisons Ashraf Ali Nizamani. Instead, ‘light’ charges of negligence had been mentioned in the FIR, he added.
He said that since both the escaped UTPs were involved in more than 60 murder cases of policemen, Shia community members and the workers of a party, their escape from the Central Prison had triggered fear and panic, thus it was an act of terror.
Published in Dawn, June 18th, 2017
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