ISLAMABAD/PESHAWAR: A convoy of three vans carrying political prisoners — including two PTI lawmakers, workers and Khyber Pakhtun­khwa police and rescue officials — came under a mysterious attack by armed suspects within the capital’s limits on Friday, prompting the federal and KP governments to trade blame for the incident.

The attack occurred when the prisoners were being transported back to Attock Jail for formal release. They now face fresh charges and will remain in custody for the time being.

The prisoners had been granted bail on Thursday in connection with two cases registered at Kohsar police station, under which they were initially arrested. However, they were rearrested the same day by Secretariat police in another case.

On Friday, the prisoners were produced in court again, and the lower court discharged them from the case, ordering their release if they were not required in any other case.

In a statement, the capital police said that they were transporting 82 prisoners back to Attock Jail when, near Sangjani Toll Plaza, 20 attackers in four SUVs launched an assault on the convoy. The attackers, armed with weapons, batons and stones, also opened fire at the police. Four policemen were injured in the attack, whereas four of the attackers were arrested.

Police officials told Dawn on condition of anonymity that the group of 82 undertrial prisoners included two MPAs from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as well as over 45 officials of provincial police and Rescue 1122 departments.

They had been brought to Islamabad for their court appearance in connection with the Oct 5 violence in the capital during PTI protests. They are facing several charges, including sections of the Anti-Terrorism Act.

Court hearing

During Friday’s hearing, the lower court discharged the prisoners from the case around 3:30pm. According to the court order from Judicial Magistrate Mohammad Azhar Nadeem, the 82 accused were produced in court with a request to send them into judicial custody for an identification parade.

However, the defence counsel opposed the request, arguing that all the accused were part of PTI’s protests on Oct 4 and 5 and had already been granted post-arrest bail in other cases by the Anti-Terrorism Court in Islamabad on Oct 24.

The court order noted that there was no justification for an identification parade as the accused had been arrested at the scene of the protests and had already spent 20 days in custody, during which they were presented in court.

Therefore, the request for an identification parade was declined, and all the accused were discharged from the case, with orders for their immediate release, provided they were not required in any other cases.

The officials said that despite the hearing concluding at 3:30pm, police delayed the transport of the prisoners until at least 5pm, and the incident occurred after 5:15pm.

The police officials added that as per the law, jails do not accept prisoners after 5pm.

While the prisoners were granted bail in the two Kohsar cases and discharged from the Secretariat case, the attack on the convoy means they are likely to face fresh charges and be rearrested. The wounded police officers reportedly sustained injuries from stones and batons during the attack.

‘Well-thought-out plan’

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar claimed that the attack on the prisoner convoy at Sangjani Toll Plaza was orchestrated by workers of what he termed “Tehreek-i-Intashar”. He alleged that 25 to 30 suspects in four vehicles attempted an unsuccessful rescue of the 82 prisoners under a “well-thought-out plan”.

Mr Tarar also claimed that 19 prisoners managed to escape but were later rearrested. Several arrests had been made in connection with the attack, including the son of a PTI MPA from KP, the minister said, adding that two vehicles, four individuals and weapons had been seized.

‘Fake’ attack

Meanwhile, Khyber Pak­htunkhwa Chief Mini­s­ter Ali Amin Gand­apur dismissed the attack on the convoy as “drama and fake”, accusing the federal and Punjab governments of staging the incident.

In a video message, he warned the interior minister and the inspector general of Punjab Police to ensure the safe transport of PTI workers and provincial government employees, stating that they would be held responsible for any harm.

He also alleged that the SHO of Tarnol was involved in damaging the prison vans, claiming that police officers present at the scene had urged the PTI prisoners to escape, but they refused to do so.

Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2024