Khairpur jail staff suspended following deadly shooting

KHAIRPUR: The Inspector General of Prisons, Fida Hussain Mastooi, suspended 15 prison officials from Khairpur Central Jail, including the superintendent and assistant superintendent, after a shooting incident left one inmate dead and two others injured. The attack occurred on Tuesday when prisoners were returning from a court hearing.

Unidentified assailants opened fire in the jail's adjacent compound as the prisoners were escorted back. The jail police responded to the attack and managed to apprehend one of the suspects, who was injured in the process. Two other gunmen managed to escape, and local police have initiated a search operation to apprehend them.

The suspended officials include Superintendent Abdul Ghaffar Chandio, along with the assistant superintendent, duty officer, two head constables, and seven constables. The Punjab Police has formed a three-member inquiry committee, led by DIG Prisons Malik Aslam, to investigate any security lapses that may have contributed to the incident.

Preliminary investigations suggest that the shooting resulted from a previous feud. IG Mastooi emphasized that any negligence by prison staff would result in strict disciplinary actions, reinforcing his zero-tolerance policy toward security breaches.