QUETTA: The Balochistan government has declared five prisons sensitive after receiving information from federal interior ministry regarding threat of attacks on Saturday.
The jails were declared sensitive owing to presence of high profile prisoners. Balochistan's central jail in Machh houses 85 prisoners convicted for life imprisonment.
The decision of declaring the prisons sensitive came a day after the terrorist attack on Rawalpindi bound Jaffar Express that killed at least four passengers and injured around 30 others. In a targeted operation following the train attack, security forces claim to have killed at least 10 militants in two days.
Secretary Home and Tribal Affairs Balochistan, Akbar Hussain Durrani told Dawn.com that federal interior ministry has warned the government about looming threat of attack to five jails.
He said district jail Quetta, central jail Machh, Gaddani, Khuzdar and Noshki have been declared the most sensitive. Prisons department has been asked to double the security in and around all sensitive jails.
“Frontier Corps has already been deployed outside Quetta jail,” Durrani said.
Barricades and barbed wires around district jail Quetta have been erected following threat of an attack. Road leading to the prison has been almost half blocked by prison department to avoid any potential attack.
“Mock alert exercises were conducted by forces outside Quetta jail,” Durrani said.
On Saturday morning, security forces conducted a thorough operation inside the central jail Machh.
Despite local staff’s refusal to conduct the search operation due to threats from high profile convicted prisoners, more than three dozen security personnel from nearby Sibi district were called in to launch the operation inside the jail.
The central jail Machh is located 60 kilometer south of Quetta. The jail houses around 1500 inmates including high profile convicted prisoners.
Secretary home Balochistan said there were 85 prisoners inside Machh jail who were conducted for life imprisonment.
He said the pardon appeals of 13 convicted high profile prisoners were expired and rejected therefore they now have become condemned prisoners. “Appeals of remaining 72 prisoners are in pending in different courts,” he added.