Prisoners involved in Nanga Parbat massacre escape from jail

GILIGIT: A militant accused of the massacre of 10 foreign climbers at a mountain camp near Nanga Parbat in 2013, escaped from Gilgit’s District Jail on Friday, officials said.

Gunmen had stormed a base camp in June 2013 and shot dead the 10 mountaineers along with their Pakistani guide and cook.



One of the key suspects, Habib-ur-Rehman, managed to escape in the early hours of Friday morning, along with another inmate held over a different attack on security forces.

Two other prisoners tried to escape with them, but one was recaptured and the other, also accused over the Nanga Parbat massacre, was killed.

"Four militants jailed in the district prison of Gilgit attempted to escape. They were countered by forces but two of them succeeded in their attempt," Liaquat Ali, a senior administration official in Gilgit, told AFP by telephone.

The escaped militants were awaiting trial over the attacks.

"Among them, one was Habib-ur-Rehman, accused of killing foreign mountaineers on Nanga Parbat in 2013 and the other inmate Liaquat was involved in an attack on security forces in Chilas region."

Ali said they broke out at around 2:45 am PST and security forces cordoned off the area as the search for the escapees is underway.

Another senior official in the district, Muhammad Ajmal Bhatti, confirmed the incident and said the authorities had "locked down the city to comb for the escaped militants".

GB chief secretary Sikandar Sultan Raja suspended IG Prisons Muhammad Faisal over the incident.

Meanwhile, three policemen including the Jail Deputy Superintendent were also suspended.

A high level committee has also been formed to carry out investigation in the matter.

Gilgit Baltistan Home Secretary Sibtain Ahmed has offered a cash reward of Rs2 million for arrest of the prisoners.