​Pakistan disciplines three top prison officials after massive jailbreak in Karachi

Pakistan's Sindh province fired its top prison official and suspended two others Tuesday after more than 200 inmates escaped from a jail in the country's commercial capital during an earthquake-triggered breakout that authorities called an "embarrassment" for the government.

Inspector General of Prisons Qazi Nazir was immediately removed from his position, while Deputy Inspector General Hassan Sehto and Malir Jail Superintendent Arshad Shah were suspended with immediate effect, Senior Minister for Information Sharjeel Memon announced Tuesday.

The personnel shakeup came as authorities continued hunting for 138 inmates still at large from Monday night's mass escape, when 216 prisoners fled after mild earthquake tremors weakened prison walls. Officials said 78 escapees have been recaptured.

"This incident has brought shame to the Sindh government, and we are treating this matter with the utmost seriousness," Memon told reporters. "Those officials who showed negligence have been suspended immediately. We cannot ignore such failures."

The provincial government issued a 24-hour ultimatum for the remaining fugitives to surrender, with Memon warning that anti-terrorism charges would be filed if the deadline is not met.

While acknowledging the chaos was not a coordinated attack, Memon emphasized that the breakout had exposed critical weaknesses in the system. "This was not a planned assault, but the incident has raised very serious concerns about our prison management and emergency preparedness capabilities," he stated.

Authorities have launched a formal inquiry into how such a large-scale breach occurred and whether structural problems at the facility had been previously reported but ignored, Memon said. Police patrols have been increased throughout Karachi, particularly around the National Highway and Malir areas, as the manhunt continues.

Earthquake triggers jailbreak?

Authorities claim the escape began around midnight Monday when seismic tremors caused visible cracks in the walls of prison barracks at the facility in Malir, an industrial district of Karachi.

Home Minister Zia Lanjar said most of the escapees were being held on charges related to drug use or petty crimes, with no indication that hardened criminals were among those who fled.

Provincial authorities moved quickly to restructure the prison system's leadership, transferring Muhammad Aslam Malik from the Sukkur region to serve as Deputy Inspector General for Karachi, while appointing Shahabuddin Siddiqui as the new superintendent of Malir Jail.