KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah took strict action after the incident at Malir Jail. He removed Inspector General (IG) Jail Qazi Nazir Ahmed from his post. Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Jails Hasan Sehto and Superintendent Malir Jail Arshad Hussain were suspended immediately.
According to Murad Ali Shah’s media consultant Abdul Rasheed Channa, the orders were given during an emergency meeting at the Chief Minister’s House about the Malir Jail incident.
Senior Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon, Interior Minister Zia-ul-Hassan Lanjhar, Chief Secretary Asif Haider Shah, Principal Secretary to CM Agha Wasif, and Secretary Interior Muhammad Iqbal attended the meeting.
The Chief Minister called the incident “completely unacceptable.” He said it showed serious negligence by the jail administration and the responsible people will be held accountable.
He instructed the Sindh Home Department to conduct a full security audit not only of Malir Jail but all jails in the province.
Murad Ali Shah asked Chief Secretary Asif Haider Shah to start a full and impartial inquiry into the incident with the help of Karachi Commissioner Hasan Naqvi and Karachi Police Chief Javed Alam Odho. The investigation should clearly identify those responsible.
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It was reported in the meeting that during the confusion caused by the earthquake tremors, 216 prisoners escaped from Malir Jail. So far, 83 prisoners have been caught again, and a search operation is ongoing to catch the rest. The escaped prisoners were mostly involved in minor crimes and none faced serious charges.
The Chief Minister appealed to the escaped prisoners to surrender voluntarily. He warned that if they do not come back, cases will be registered against them under the Anti-Terrorism Act, which can lead to up to seven years in jail.
Murad Ali Shah said jail officials should have contacted district administration and law enforcement agencies immediately but failed to do so. This shows a complete failure in communication and preparation.
He also ordered the appointment of new IG Jail, DIG, and Jail Superintendent and asked the Chief Secretary to issue notifications and report back.
Later, at the opening ceremony of a center for children’s physical and neurodevelopmental rehabilitation, the Chief Minister told the media that the investigation is ongoing. He promised to fix the problems in the jail system and punish those responsible.
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Earlier, Senior Provincial Minister and Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon also said that after the escape, the Sindh government removed IG Jail Qazi Nazir Ahmed and suspended DIG Hasan Sehto, Superintendent Arshad Hussain, and other officers.
According to Private Tv Report, Sharjeel Memon said a two-member committee has been formed to investigate the incident. Karachi Commissioner Hasan Naqvi and Additional IG Javed Alam Odho will lead the inquiry and submit a report to the Sindh government.
He added that prisoners who return on their own by tonight will not face punishment. But those caught later will be charged with jail breaking, which can bring a sentence of up to seven years. Anti-terrorism charges will also be included.
Sharjeel Memon urged escaped prisoners to surrender to avoid harsher punishments.
It was also reported that a mother brought her escaped son back to Malir Jail. She requested that no action be taken against him as he ran away with the crowd and had no serious crime. She said she brought him back herself to save him from further trouble.
