A high-profile terrorist along with his wife, son, and daughter allegedly escaped from the most protected and surveilled custody of security forces, and the government officials are yet to issue a statement on this serious matter.
An Indian weekly The Sunday Guardian reported the news of Ehsanullah’s alleged escape before the audio clip with a man claiming to be the former TTP spokesman surfaced. The weekly had claimed on January 18: “Ehsanullah Ehsan had fled from the safe house on January 11, where he was being kept for almost three years.” But the report did not gain attention in Pakistan.
It was only after the audiotape of Ehsaanullah Ehsan appeared on social media that the mysterious 'escape' sparked an international and nation-wide debate. Ehsanullah is heard saying in the clip, “with the help of Allah, I succeeded to escape on January 11, from the confinement of the security forces.”
So basically, the man who had claimed the responsibility for attacking the champion of girls’ education – Malala Yousafzai in 2012, who is also said to be involved in APS attack 2016, in which more than 140 people including 132 children were martyred heartlessly, has ‘escaped’ the custody of Pakistani authorities.
Also problematic is the way Ehsanullah Ehsan was kept in custody – not as a hardened criminal but as a guest. The self-confessed terrorist was neither prosecuted nor tried for his countless crimes.
Isn’t Ehsanullah Ehsan’s convenient escape from custody a security lapse? It seems that the state is so busy in arresting the activists, students, teachers, politicians, and critical voices for doing ‘anti-state’ activities that it forgot to make sure an actual terrorist pays for his crimes.
A person who is accused of carrying out the attack that shook every single citizen to the core – APS attack in 2016. Following the reports of the escape, families of APS martyrs filed a petition with Peshawar High court (PHC) saying that the respondents, which include the army chief, the director general of the ISI, as well as the federal and provincial secretaries, had violated earlier orders of the PHC barring authorities from releasing Ehsanullah Ehsan.
Prime Minister Imran Khan must not fail the APS martyrs and the five years struggle of their families seeking justice.
The repercussions of this development may seriously affect the reputation of Pakistan in the international community. This failure will further strengthen the rhetoric that Pakistan is ‘harboring’ terrorists and is a ‘safe haven’ for various terrorist organisations. This can also negate a key factor of the country’s current foreign policy – Pakistan needs peace and stability in the home and the region as a whole.
The state must release a statement clarifying its stance to make things clear. This silence is not helping Pakistan in any way. An inquiry must also be held to ascertain as to what led to this embarrassment.
An Indian weekly The Sunday Guardian reported the news of Ehsanullah’s alleged escape before the audio clip with a man claiming to be the former TTP spokesman surfaced. The weekly had claimed on January 18: “Ehsanullah Ehsan had fled from the safe house on January 11, where he was being kept for almost three years.” But the report did not gain attention in Pakistan.
It was only after the audiotape of Ehsaanullah Ehsan appeared on social media that the mysterious 'escape' sparked an international and nation-wide debate. Ehsanullah is heard saying in the clip, “with the help of Allah, I succeeded to escape on January 11, from the confinement of the security forces.”
So basically, the man who had claimed the responsibility for attacking the champion of girls’ education – Malala Yousafzai in 2012, who is also said to be involved in APS attack 2016, in which more than 140 people including 132 children were martyred heartlessly, has ‘escaped’ the custody of Pakistani authorities.
Also problematic is the way Ehsanullah Ehsan was kept in custody – not as a hardened criminal but as a guest. The self-confessed terrorist was neither prosecuted nor tried for his countless crimes.
Isn’t Ehsanullah Ehsan’s convenient escape from custody a security lapse? It seems that the state is so busy in arresting the activists, students, teachers, politicians, and critical voices for doing ‘anti-state’ activities that it forgot to make sure an actual terrorist pays for his crimes.
A person who is accused of carrying out the attack that shook every single citizen to the core – APS attack in 2016. Following the reports of the escape, families of APS martyrs filed a petition with Peshawar High court (PHC) saying that the respondents, which include the army chief, the director general of the ISI, as well as the federal and provincial secretaries, had violated earlier orders of the PHC barring authorities from releasing Ehsanullah Ehsan.
Prime Minister Imran Khan must not fail the APS martyrs and the five years struggle of their families seeking justice.
The repercussions of this development may seriously affect the reputation of Pakistan in the international community. This failure will further strengthen the rhetoric that Pakistan is ‘harboring’ terrorists and is a ‘safe haven’ for various terrorist organisations. This can also negate a key factor of the country’s current foreign policy – Pakistan needs peace and stability in the home and the region as a whole.
The state must release a statement clarifying its stance to make things clear. This silence is not helping Pakistan in any way. An inquiry must also be held to ascertain as to what led to this embarrassment.