Cops were re-arrested for hindering jailbreak probe, ATC told

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Monday fixed October 14 as the next date of hearing of the case against police officials accused of involvement in the escape of two high-profile terrorists from the Karachi Central Prison.

The court ordered the authorities concerned to ensure the presence of then jail superintendent, Ghulam Murtaza Shaikh, then deputy superintendent Abdul Rehman Shaikh and other accused including Faheem Anwar Memon, Ayaz Salik, Muhammad Amjad, Firosh Muhammad, Naveed Ahmed, Nawab Ali, Atta Muhammad, Muhammad Amir, Abdul Ghafoor, Saeed Ahmed and Nadir Ali at the next hearing.

Earlier, the court accepted a report submitted by the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) police that stated that Ghulam Murtaza Shaikh and Abdul Rehman Shaikh were being kept under detention at the central prison on judicial remand in a case pertaining to charges of destroying evidence and threatening witnesses in the June 13 jailbreak case.

The report said that the two accused were on bail in two cases but they were arrested in another case registered against them around two weeks ago. In that case, they stand accused of having influenced the witnesses and trying to destroy evidence against them.

In this case, the CTD police had arrested Ghulam and Abdul Rehman and produced them before the administrative judge of the ATCs on October 2.

The two cops, along with others, are alleged to have facilitated the escape of two suspected Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) terrorists, Shaikh Muhammad Mumtaz aka Firoun and Ahmed Khan alias Munna, from the judicial complex at the central prison on June 13. 

The first case was registered against more than a dozen officials and employees of the central prison, while the second case was registered on the basis of recovery of heroin, mobile phones and jammers in a subsequent search operation by the Rangers inside the prison after the jailbreak in June.

The new case was registered against the two officials on the complaint of CTD inspector Shahid Karim who has been investigating one of the cases. As many as 15 officials of the Karachi Central Prison are being tried in the case. 

The case was first sent to a regular court and after an investigation team concluded that the two officials were creating hindrance in the probe into the escape of two suspected LeJ terrorists, the case was transferred to an ATC. The alleged LeJ militants were facing cases for their alleged involvement in murders of 60 people, including law enforcers.

The latest FIR (157/ 2017) against the two jail officials has been registered with the CTD police station on behalf of the state under Sections 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information to screen offender), 186 (Obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 353 (Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 109 (abetment), 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997.