KARACHI: Two policemen were arrested after a suspected militant in their custody escaped from the heavily guarded antiterrorism courts (ATCs) on Monday.

Tanveer alias Jumbo was facing trial in an explosive substances case.

He was apprehended by the Special Investigation Unit of police in the Ibrahim Haideri area in September last year.

The jail authorities produced the undertrial before an ATC as his case was fixed for evidence. After the hearing, he somehow managed to unlock his handcuffs and fled the ATCs, housed in four barracks of the Sindh Secretariat.

Thereafter, ATC-IX judge Farman Ali Kanasro summoned the senior superintendent of police (security) and the Preedy SHO and directed them to arrest the accused and take action against the policemen responsible for the UTP’s escape.

The UTP was booked under Section 4/5 of the Explosive Substances Act, 1908 at the SIU police station.

Meanwhile, the police arrested assistant sub-inspector Raziuddin and constable Zahid Ali, who were escorting the UTP, and a case was registered against them and the absconder at the Preedy police station on behalf of the state under Sections 223 (escape from custody negligently suffered by public servant), 224 (resistance or obstruction by a person to his lawful apprehension), 225-A (omission to apprehend or sufferance of escape on part of public servant, in case not otherwise provided for) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

Earlier in July 2013, three undertrial prisoners, Arsalan, Ammar and Mohammad Zubair, facing trial in kidnapping for ransom and murder cases, had escaped from the ATCs premises.

The 10 ATCs in Karachi are currently housed in the Sindh Secretariat, which also has offices of different government departments.

In the absence of a separate boundary wall around the courts, anyone can easily access the courts. It seems UTPs can also walk out of the premises without facing any resistance, as people are seen passing through the main entrance of the secretariat without proving their identity and undergoing personal search.

In view of growing security concerns, the Sindh authorities had presented a proposal to the high court in March for the shifting of the ATCs to the building of the Municipal Training and Research Institute (MTRI) in Clifton’s Block 3, a highly secured area, near Bilawal House.

Subsequently, the authorities had notified that the ATCs were being relocated to the MTRI building that also houses accountability courts and anti-narcotics courts. But the process of shifting has not yet been started.

Published in Dawn, August 25th, 2015

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