LARKANA: Larkana Central Prison superintendent Ashfaq Ahmed Kalwar was suspended for his alleged involvement in malpractices at the prison.

A purported letter issued by the chief secretary on Friday informed Mr Kalwar that he had been placed under suspension over his involvement in malpractices at the prison, according to sources.

Inspector General of Sindh prisons and correction services Qazi Nazir Ahmed, citing the chief secretary’s letter, asked Mr Kalwar to immediately comply with the order.

Sukkur Central Prison’s superintendent Shahabuddin has been assigned the additional charge of the Larkana jail superintendent.

The Larkana jail had witnessed several week-long episodes of rioting and disturbances involving inmates during Mr Kalwar’s tenure as the jail chief. Last year, protesting inmates had resorted to holding policemen hostage to press the authorities concerned to accept their demands.

A major ‘operation clean-up’ had to be carried out to recover hundreds of mobile phones and other prohibited articles from prisoners’ barracks. A large number of inmates, marked as ‘troublemakers’, had to be shifted to other jails earlier his year to restore peace in the jail.

Published in Dawn, November 12th, 2022