The TTP Jailbreaks

Just watched the Adnan Rashid Bannu jailbreak video and dont know whether to be in awe of TTP audacity in how they executed this successfully or whether to deride the gross ineptitude of our police and millitary to have let such a thing happen. They knew how important and high profiled the Talibans commanders they had in custody were and to have anyone other than the best guarding this prison was nothing but stupid. I know that the TTP fighters under the spell of their ideology are prepared to give their lives when planning such an operation but then the security forces should be capable of accepting these lives. If someone tells me that our millitary cannot fend off a couple hundred fighters having just AK 47s, rocket launchers and grenades (even mqm activists have this kind of weaponry !), id be very very concerned about our our frontiers that they are expected to protect. Its just poor management and bad planning that has allowed the 2 Kandahar prison breaks, the Bannu prison break as well as the one at Dera Ismail Khan. Millitants captured CANNOT be subjected to the same security protocols as other criminals. There either needs to be a dedicated prison for such prisoners so that extra ordinary security can be deployed around it or, if possible, special security measures be taken for all prisons having such prisoners.

However, special security does not mean having more sitting ducks around the prison. Instead, it calls for the application of permanent fortification techniques of the 19th and 20th century which are now quite frankly obsolete in international warfare but will be good enough for the TTP. The Punjab government recently approved over PKR 200 million for prison fortifications and if even half of this money escapes bureaucracy pockets and gets spent for this purpose, this should make a difference. They plan on building secondary walls around prison perimeters and install cctv cameras. But walls arent the only option available. Relooking at prison patrol routes, electronic sensors and, importantly, having millitary presence at or very close to the prison are all vital steps that require to be taken.

The worst thing about the DI Khan incident is that we had prior intelligence about this. Even if such intelligences are a matter of everyday routine, we could have simply strengthened the force at the prison. When we are at war, we should react to each and every intelligence that we get. There should be a series of steps preemptive as well as those that could solidify response in case such intelligence materializes. Possibly, the security agencies could ostentatiously do nothing but actually lay a trap for millitants planning a DI Khan type operation.

After many hard fought battles and countless Jawaan sacrifices are we able to capture such millitants; its a pity we lose them again. It only hints at the broader planning and execution failures of our security and intelligence agencies which has hitherto prevented us from being successful against Talibans. We are fighting such a determined force but unfortunately we are not countering it professionally enough.