Daily Times

Karachi: Thex on Wednesday moved to Sindh High Court challenging an anti-terrorism court decision to grant bail to three prison officials including a former superintendent of Karachi Central Prison in a case pertaining to the escape of two suspected militants who were allegedly involved in over 60 murders.

The Prosecution Department filed the appeal against the ATC decision to grant bail to the prison officials including the then superintendent Ghulam Murtaza Shaikh, Deputy superintendent Faheem Anwar Memon and Assistant superintendent Abdul Rehman Shaikh in a case registered against them for allegedly facilitating the suspected hardcore terrorists of LeJ in their escape from the highly-guarded prison.

The department in its appeal said that escape of hardcore terrorists from the highly-guarded prison was a very serious issue. It said that the escape of alleged terrorists from positions can not be overlooked or ignored.

It added that the accused fared serious charges of facilitating terrorists in their escape and gross negligence in discharge of their duties.

The petition pleaded the high court to cancel the bail granted to the accused.

It is to be mentioned here that three prison officials along with 12 other officials and personnel had been arrested for their negligence in the escape of the suspected Lashkar-i-Jhangvi militants, Shaikh Mohammad Mumtaz alias Firaun alias Sher Khan and Mohammad Ahmed Khan alias Munna, from the jail premises on June 13.

The three suspended officials through their counsel had moved bail applications and after hearing arguments from both sides, the judge of ATC-VIII had granted bail to each of them against a surety bond of Rs100,000.

The hardcore militants had escaped from the judicial complex inside the central prison where they had been brought by jail officials allegedly in connection with the hearing of some cases.

Arrested in 2013, the suspects were allegedly involved in the targeted killing of more than 60 police officials, political party workers and Shia community members. They belonged to the Qasim Rasheed group of the banned militant outfit, LJ.

A case was registered against the jail officials for their alleged negligence and the escaped UTPs under Sections 223 (escape from confinement or custody negligently suffered by public servant), 224 (resistance or obstruction by a person to his lawful apprehension), 225 (resistance or obstruction to lawful apprehension of another person), 225-A (omission to apprehend, or sufferance of escape, on part of public servant in cases not otherwise provided for) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code at New Town police station. Later, Section 7 of the Anti-terrorism Act was incorporated into the FIR on the recommendation of the Counter-Terrorism Department of police.

Published in Daily Times, August 24^th 2017.