Dozens of Taliban fighters freed nearly 250 prisoners, including hardcore terrorists, in a sophisticated attack at the Dera Ismail Khan prison in Pakistan on Monday.
The police officers at the prison hid in sewer lines during the attack.
Dawn reported:
Provincial revenue minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur on Wednesday declared the Dera Ismail Khan jailbreak incident an act of cowardice on part of local police and said tough action would be taken against those responsible for the debacle.
“Police officers and constables had hidden in sewer lines when militants attacked the Dera Ismail Khan central prison. Our head hangs in shame,” Ali Amin Gandapur told a news conference.
The minister, who also belongs to Dera Ismail Khan, said police officers and constable with the exception of a few had disappeared at the time of the jail attack and there was no one to defend the premises.
He said militants succeeded in carrying out their task without resistance for more than 45 minutes due to cowardice on part of police.
Mr Gandapur said the main gate of the prison had been built by the British and it was not something that could have been blown up.
“But the irony is that our own officials opened the gate to militants to welcome them. The entire force had disappeared instead of confronting militants,” he said.
The minister said instead of laying down their lives to protect the honour and property of the people, senior police officers hid themselves in sewer lines.
It’s not so hard to escape from prison when security is hiding in the sewer.