PESHAWAR, July 16: Provincial Minister for Information Mian Iftikhar Hussain has said that Dr Shakeel Afridi, who is linked with Osama bin Laden’s killing in an American action, should be transferred to a jail in another province.

Addressing a news conference here on Monday, he said the provincial government thought that Mr Afridi should be transferred to a prison in another province because of threats to his life in Peshawar jail.

“We have not requested the Balochistan government to take custody of Shakeel Afridi neither we ask for it under the rule,” said Mr Hussain, adding that provincial government had requested the federal government to shift Mr Afridi to any other province.The provincial government, he added, repeated its demand again since it was of the view that Mr Afridi was not safe in Peshawar jail because of potential threats to his life.

The minister said that around 1,000 prisoners from Federally Administered Tribal Areas were lodged in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa prisons. He said that expenditures incurred on the prisoners from Fata were being met by the provincial government.

Referring to the ongoing action against Afghans, who were staying in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa without legal documents, he said that the operation against them would continue in accordance with the country’s law.

“No country in the world allows nationals from other countries without legal documents, therefore, Afghans without legal documents are not entitled to stay in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa or any other area of Pakistan,” said Mr Hussain.

He, however, said that Afghan refugees with proper and valid documents would not be covered by the ongoing operation.

The minister also condemned attack on a Bannu police installation on Monday in which, according to him, two of the attackers were killed while three policemen received injuries. He said that army troops were also present to help police control the situation for which curfew was also imposed for some time.

Meanwhile, the provincial government, said the minister, had decided to terminate the services of a section officer and one of his colleagues in connection with Bannu jailbreak incident.

Similarly, according to him, the government of Punjab would take necessary action against its employee, who was instrumental in transferring Adnan Rasheed from a Punjab prison to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Adnan Rasheed was detained in Bannu jail when Taliban attacked it and took him away with them. — Bureau Report