Minister’s visit to Kot Lakhpat Jail shocks officials

ISLAMABAD: A case of political interference in official matters surfaced after Punjab Minister for Prisons Zawar Hussain visited the Kot Lakhpat Jail Lahore and allegedly unlocked high security barracks.

The minister, along with “six suspected civilians,” allegedly held a secret meeting with the militants of banned terror outits involved in suicide attacks in Lahore and undertrial sectarian inmates, said a report.

Through his visit to the high-proile prisoners, he created a risk of security lapse as he allegedly unlocked the barracks, housing 109 dangerous terrorists in sheer violation of Pakistan Prisons Rules 1978.

Presently, the jail houses 3,700 convicts and other inmates, including 300 death row prisoners, 45 foreigners, 70 high-proile/sectarian prisoners and those convicted by army courts, besides 2,200 other dangerous convicted inmates.

Hussain allegedly forced his entry into the jail in the wee hours and stopped the jail superintendent and other senior oficials from accompanying him as he went to meet the prisoners, says a detailed report dispatched to the home secretary by the prisons department.

It says the minister allegedly forced all the jail officials to leave the premises and made them wait outside it. He directed the officials not to enter the jail until he completes his “work” as he seized the keys to the cells/barracks of the high-risk prisoners, unlocked the cells and met and interviewed the prisoners in violation of rules.

On resistance, he locked the oficial guards of the high-security blocks of the dangerous prisoners in a cell for “not cooperating with him.”

In his meeting with the under-trial militants of the banned terrorist outits involved in suicide attacks in Lahore, he was accompanied by six civilians. The minister remained in the prison for six hours.

Superintendent of the Kot Lakhpat Jail Ijaz Asghar made these stunning revelations in his detailed report, sent to Punjab Inspector General of Prisons Mirza Shahid Saleem Baig.

Baig brought the matter to the knowledge of the interior secretary who ordered high-level investigation into the issue.