Two militants escape from Karachi Central Jail

Two "high-profile militants" of the banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LJ) have escaped from Karachi's central prison.

The prison was claimed to be safeguarded heavily after multiple operations to foil escape attempts, including the October 2014 operation by the Rangers, during which they found a 45-metre-long tunnel being built just a few metres from the facility to allow some 100 militants to escape.

The actual circumstances of the escape are still unclear as the police officials said they were informed about the incident after "considerable delay".

The Dawn quoted a senior police official, as saying that the police received a letter from DIG Prisons, Ashraf Ali Nizamani, on Wednesday evening, stating that two under-trial prisoners have escaped and that the DIG wanted the registration of a case against the escaped UTPs and several jail officials over their alleged negligence.

The DIG Prisons' letter did not mention the exact date of the escape of the prisoners.

Both LJ militants- identified as Shaikh Muhammad Mumtaz and Muhammad Ahmed Khan -were arrested by the CTD police in 2013.

Raja Umer Khattab, a senior official of the police's Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), said they were both hardcore LJ militants and that Shaikh Mumtaz, a resident of Orangi Town was involved in targeted killings of 57 persons including members of Shia community and the police. He had 32 cases registered against him.

Similarly, Khattab said Ahmed alias Munna, a resident of Korangi was involved in seven targeted killing cases.

Following the development, the jail administration has suspended 12 jail staff including Superintendent Central Prison Ghulam Murtaza Shaikh, Deputy Superintendent Faheem Memon and Assistant Superintendent Abdul Rehman Shaikh.