QUETTA, Jan 21: The government of Balochistan has suspended 12 jail wardens and a senior officer of the provincial prisons department for letting two high-profile militants escape from a sub-jail in the Quetta Cantonment area.

“Cases have been registered against all 13 jail officials after suspending them and the escape of two militants of a banned sectarian organisation is being investigated,” a senior official of the provincial home department told Dawn.

Usman Saifullah and Shafiqur Rehman, who were accused of having masterminded more than two dozen incidents of sectarian violence in Quetta, were serving time in the heavily-guarded sub-jail, located in the premises of the Anti-Terrorism Force Headquarters. However, they managed to flee on Jan 18.

Home department sources said the authorities are also interrogating ATF officials who were on duty when the prisoners escaped.

TWO BROTHERS SHOT DEAD: Two brothers were gunned down by armed men in Mach, some 70 km from here, police said on Monday.