Pakistani jailbreak: senior officials transferred

Islamabad, April 17 (IANS) Four senior officials have been transferred after Taliban militants stormed a jail in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and freed about 400 prisoners, a media report said Tuesday.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Amir Haider Khan Hoti transferred Commissioner Bannu Abdullah Khan Mehsud, IG Prisons Arshad Majeed Mohmand, DIG Police Range Bannu Mohammad Iftikhar Khan, and Deputy Superintendent Jail Bannu Mohammad Zahid from their posts over Bannu jailbreak incident, Geo News reported.

Hoti also ordered an enquiry into the incident.

Taliban militants struck at the Bannu jail early Sunday and freed nearly 400 prisoners.

At least 20 high profile prisoners, including one who was involved in an attack on former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf, were among those who escaped.

A preliminary report of the audacious attack has termed it a failure of the intelligence agencies.

The report said at least 150 militants attacked the jail. They arrived in 25 vehicles and were there for over an hour.

The escaped prisoners included 269 who were convicted, 89 under trial prisoners while 21 were awarded death sentence.