A house-to-house verification of people residing around Central Jail Karachi, an important jail housing thousands of convicted and under-trial terrorists, has been initiated to avert threats of terrorist attack and jail break incidents similar to Dera Ismail Khan (DIK) where militants escorted their 230 accomplices towards freedom.
The intelligence agencies were carrying out the verification in collaboration with local police. The police have also approached the owners and residents of high-rise buildings located near the central prison to establish permanent pickets on the top of apartment buildings to monitor activities of people inside and outside prison.
The police posts which were already established along with the central prison were made functional and teams of police were deployed in these pickets for better vigilance. The police squad would be assigned the task to monitor the activities of suspected persons around the jail.
The central prison also housed convicted terrorists belonging to various banned militant outfits functioning inside the country and this issue had become a topic of discussion after the successful militant attack on 150-year-old DIK central prison.
The statement given earlier by Sindh Minister for Prisons Manzoor Wassan that Sindh jails were under threat had rung the alarm bells. The provincial minister in his statement after the attack on DIK central prison said that the jails of Karachi, Hyderabad and Sukkur were vulnerable to terrorist attacks.
Keeping threats of attack on central prison of Karachi in view, the Sindh Police had started verification of people residing in houses and apartments located around the jail. The central prison is covered with buildings from all sides which led to rising concerns about the security of the prison. The areas located around the jail, included Usmania Mohajir Colony, Martin Quarters, Hyderabad Colony, Ghausia Colony and a part of PIB Colony.
Three police stations have been assigned to complete the verification process. New Town Police Station was assigned Ghausia Colony, while areas of Usmania Mohajir Colony, Martin Quarters and Hyderabad Colony have been assigned to Jamshaid Quarters Police Station while verification of PIB Colony residents had been assigned to PIB Colony Police Station.
“We have completed the verification process of PIB Colony area which touch one side of the central prison,” PIB Colony police SHO Asif Munawar said. “It is a small piece of the colony which fell near the central prison from one side and we have completed the verification immediately,” the SHO added. “The area residents have been directed to inform police if anyone arrived in the area for a brief stay,” he maintained.
“We have started verification process and verification of houses and apartment of Ghausia Colony has been completed,” SHO New Town Inam Husssain Junejo said. “Verification of house owners and those residing in the colony since the last many years is not issue but owners of houses have been directed to submit credentials to the police of those who rented portions of their houses for a brief stay,” he added.
“Verification process of Usmania Mohajir Colony, Martin Quarters and Hyderabad Colony residents is going on and would be completed shortly,” SHO Jamshaid Quarters Safdar Mashwani said. “Police and intelligence agencies are going house to house for collection of credentials of residents,” SHO said, adding that “The areas residents were asked to inform police immediately in case of any suspected activity or presence of any suspected person in the town,” Mashwani added.
“We are avoiding such a situation where the army would be given control of the central prison similar to what had happened in the prisons of Khyber Pakhtunkhawa (KPK) after the DIK jail break,” Deputy Inspector General (DIG) East Tahir Naveed said. “After sensing a threat, we have decided that verification of area residents living around the central jail and process of verification has already been started,” Naveed said.
“We have decided to double the quantity of police posts around the main prison and presence of police squad would be ensured at all times,” the DIG said, adding that, “The police teams would be assigned to monitor any suspicious activity around the prison.”
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