Security beefed up for Pakistanis in UP jails

Security for Pakistani prisoners in Uttar Pradesh jails was beefed up Friday following an alert by the state home and prisons department.

The missive came hours after a Pakistani prisoner was critically injured by a fellow prisoner in the high-security Kot Bhalwal Jail in Jammu a day after Indian death row convict Sarabjit Singh died following a murderous attack in a Lahore jail.

In a circular to all prisons in the state, Director General (Prisons) R.P. Singh asked jail superintendents to maintain 24x7 security for Pakistani nationals.

The circular also directs prison officials to keep Pakistani prisoners away from other inmates and keep them confined to high-security areas in the jail.

Uttar Pradesh holds 24 Pakistani nationals in its prisons. Of these, two are in Kanpur, four in Lucknow and others in Sitapur, Bareilly and Fatehgarh prisons, according to officials.

Additional security has been provided to Pakistani terrorist Danish Khan, who is lodged in Sitapur Jail.