As Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif decided to lift the moratorium on death penalties in terrorism cases, jail authorities are on their toes to tackle any terrorist activity, media reported Thursday.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa inspector general of prisons alerted the provincial government Thursday that militants might storm jails to free high profile prisoners, Dawn online reported.
In a letter to the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provincial government, the inspector general said that while Haripur and Peshawar jails house condemned militants, jails in Kohat, Timergara, Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan and Manshera in the province house both condemned and undertrial high profile militants.
The letter warned that militants might forcefully try to free prisoners before execution.
The inspector general requested that the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government issue a security alert to law enforcement agencies to ensure foolproof security arrangements in all jails in the province.
In July 2013, dozens of heavily armed Pakistani Taliban militants freed nearly 175 inmates, including 35 high profile militants, during a brazen attack on the central jail in Dera Ismail Khan. At least nine people, including four policemen and five militants, were killed in that attack.
In April 2012, over 100 militants had stormed into the central prison of Bannu and freed 384 prisoners. The outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had claimed responsibility for the attack.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif announced lifting of the moratorium on death penalty for those convicted for terrorism after a deadly attack Tuesday on the Army Public School in Peshawar which left nearly 150 people, mainly children, dead.
