PESHAWAR, Dec 15: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief secretary on Saturday sacked the former deputy superintendent-cum-superintendent of the Bannu central prison, Mohammad Zahid, after he was found responsible for inefficiency and negligence over the prison break, which led to the escape of around 300 prisoners, including a high-profile convict.

Mr Zahid (BPS-17), who was suspended soon after the incident on May 15, was dismissed from the service after through inquiry and issuance of a show cause notice to him.

The then assistant inspector general of prisons, Shah Salman, who was also suspended, has now been warned to be careful in future while processing cases of prisoners.

During the April 15, 2012 jailbreak, a former junior technician of Pakistan Air Force, Adnan Rasheed, who was on death row after convicted by a field general court martial for engineering attack on then military ruler General Musharraf in Dec 2003, had also escaped. He was transferred to Bannu Jail from Haripur without realising that he was a high-profile prisoner.

Another deputy superintendent-cum-superintendent, Usman Ali (BPS-17) was exonerated from all charges. He was also suspended.

A few days ago, the provincial home department had dismissed from service 11 warders of the Bannu prison in the same connection.

According to a news release issued by the provincial home department, these officers of the inspectorate of prison, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, were proceeded against under Rule 3 of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Government Servants (Efficiency and Disciplinary) Rules, 2011, for different charges mentioned in the show cause notices issued to them on June 14, 2012, which were served upon them individually.

The provincial chief secretary, who is the competent authority, granted them all an opportunity of personal hearing as provided under the said rules.

In the April 15, 2012 incident, militants from the neighbouring North Waziristan Agency had attacked the prison in large numbers but the officials on duty offered no resistance.

Thereafter, inquiries were conducted both by the provincial government and the Peshawar High Court wherein it was found that the officials on duty and personnel of law-enforcement agencies manning the roads leading to the prison were responsible for gross negligence.

Also in the day, the provincial home and tribal affairs department conferred powers of magistrate of first class under the Code of Criminal Procedure on two officials of provincial management group in Upper Dir district.

The two, Ashfaq Ahmad and Shah Jamil, currently serve as deputy district officers revenue and judicial, respectively.