New Delhi: More than 200 inmates escaped from Karachi’s overcrowded Malir Jail in the early hours Tuesday, prompting a massive security operation and an official investigation into what authorities are calling a “wrong decision” that allowed the chaos to unfold.
The escape took place after a series of minor tremors rocked Karachi late Monday night. Prison authorities had evacuated roughly 2,000 inmates from their barracks into an open area of the prison compound during the earthquake. The situation quickly spiralled into chaos as prisoners, many of whom were drug addicts, panicked and formed a mob. Amid the confusion, 213 inmates broke through the main gate and fled.
Frontier Corps (FC) personnel, along with Karachi police, Rangers, and special units including the Rapid Response Force, launched a door-to-door search operation across the city, visiting the homes and former addresses of escaped prisoners. Videos shared on social media showed inmates running through the streets while police scrambled to reestablish order.
In one case, a prisoner returned to custody voluntarily after being brought back by his mother. Karachi now has a newfound hero.
“I am not only proud of this mother (God only knows why her son committed this crime but surely there was no criminal mindset behind his act) but also of being a #Karachites. Circumstances may force us to commit a crime like theft but at least we are not proud of it and even if our real blood did it, we help the rule of law,” X user Atika Ahmed wrote.
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On the hunt
The government is desperately trying to lure the prisoners back. Escaped Malir Jail inmates have 24 hours to surrender, Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Memon told reporters. “Return now and avoid punishment—stay out, risk 7 more years behind bars,” is his ultimatum.
Social media users, however, are having a field day. Many are also calling out the Punjab government.
“#Pakistan is such a happening place … A series of mild earthquakes in #Karachi apparently weakened a wall; of #MalirJail which collapsed, providing a lifetime chance to scores of prisoners to walk free …Where else but under the rule of @CMShehbaz and his staunch ally @BBhuttoZardari,” journalist Shafek Koreshe wrote on X.
Aamir Raja, a former diplomat, also raised suspicions. He thinks the jail break was deliberate.
“The escape of prisoners from Malir Jail seems suspicious. It should be checked carefully to see if the entire drama was staged to drive away some special prisoners. The People’s Party’s good governance was already in full swing, after which law and order and policing have also been exposed,” he wrote on X.
As of Tuesday evening, 78 of the escaped prisoners had been recaptured, and one inmate was killed during the operation. At least four others sustained gunshot injuries, while two police officers were treated for minor wounds. The provincial government has since removed the Inspector General and Deputy Inspector General of Prisons, and a new IG was expected to be appointed soon, Samaa TV reported.
According to police, the prisoners upped the drama by grabbing guns from the guards, triggering a wild shootout before breaking open the main gate and making their escape.
The jailbreak has also reignited debate over conditions in Pakistan’s jails. Malir Jail, the second-largest prison in Sindh province, was housing over 5,000 inmates, more than double its capacity of 2,200 at the time of the incident, Reuters reported.
Authorities say most of the escapees were being held on charges related to drugs and minor offences. No major terrorists or foreign nationals were among those who fled, said Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah.
(Edited by Theres Sudeep)