QUETTA: Two prisoners serving 25-year sentences for drug offences were allegedly released illegally from Zhob Central Jail using fake court orders, according to sources.
The incident has prompted an investigation into the jail administration.
The prisoners were identified as Abdul Salam, a resident of Nasirabad, and Amanullah, from Kuchlak in Quetta, the sources said.
Both men were serving 25-year sentences in separate drug-related cases.
They were released from Zhob Central Jail on May 30, 2025, based on court orders that were allegedly forged, according to the sources.
The FIR said an unidentified man arrived at the jail gate around evening prayers and presented the purported court orders to an official on duty.
The orders were then used to secure the release of both prisoners, according to the FIR.
The incident came to light later. A case was registered at the City Police Station in Zhob on August 30, 2026, on the complaint of the jail’s new superintendent.
The case names both released prisoners and unidentified facilitators.
Sources said former jail superintendent Habibullah, data entry operator Sada Gul and clerk Abdul Jalil have been suspended pending an inquiry.
The inquiry will examine possible negligence and determine administrative responsibility for the incident.
The case has also raised questions about the verification of court orders, prison oversight and security procedures at the jail.
Police have launched a further investigation.
Investigators are seeking to identify those who allegedly prepared and delivered the forged orders and those who may have facilitated the prisoners’ release.
