In a significant move following the recent jailbreak at Malir District Jail, the Sindh government has appointed officers from non-prison service groups to key positions in the provincial prison system. This decision follows the escape of more than 200 inmates earlier this week.
On Thursday, Fida Hussain Mastoi, a Federal Police Service officer and current DIG of Traffic Police Hyderabad, was appointed as IG Prisons. This marks the first time an officer from outside the Prisons Service Group has been appointed to this role. The move comes after an ordinance was promulgated amending the Sindh Prisons and Correctional Services Act, 2019. The new law allows officers from federal and provincial services, including the Police Service of Pakistan and the Pakistan Administrative Service, to hold senior prison positions.
The ordinance, issued by Acting Governor Owais Qadir Shah, has also granted the Provincial Minister for Prisons, Haji Ali Hassan Zardari, the authority to directly appoint Senior Superintendents of Jails in major facilities, including Karachi Central Jail.
This change in leadership follows the dismissal of IG Prisons Qazi Nazir and the suspension of DIG Prisons Muhammad Hassan Sehto, along with the superintendent, deputy superintendent, and several other officials involved in the security breach.
Meanwhile, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Thursday remanded 115 inmates to judicial custody in connection with the jailbreak. The prisoners were transferred under heavy security to the Anti-Terrorism Complex in Karachi Central Jail. During the hearing, the court criticized the police for submitting an incomplete remand report.
