KARACHI, Pakistan – In a night filled with fear, confusion, and shattered security, over 200 inmates broke free from a prison in Karachi after earthquake tremors sent shockwaves through both the earth and the hearts of those inside.
It began late Monday night, when a series of tremors were felt in the southern port city. Inside the Malir District Jail, prison authorities made a split-second decision: unlock the cells and allow prisoners into the open courtyard to protect them from potential building collapse.
“There was panic here because of the earthquake,” said Zia-ul-Hasan Lanjar, Sindh’s Law Minister, speaking directly from the scene. “Imagine trying to control nearly a thousand people, all scared, all confused.”
But what started as a safety precaution turned into one of the most dramatic jailbreaks in Pakistan’s history. In the chaos, some inmates overpowered guards, snatched weapons, and reportedly forced open the prison’s main gate. A gunfight broke out—loud, terrifying, and tragic. One inmate lost his life. Three prison staff members were injured.
By dawn on Tuesday, the scene inside the prison was one of wreckage—broken glass, trashed equipment, a ransacked family meeting room. Outside, worried families clutched photographs and whispered prayers, unsure if their loved ones were among the missing, the recaptured, or the wounded.
Karachi’s police chief, Ghulam Nabi Memon, said most of those who escaped were not hardened criminals, but men with histories of minor offenses—petty theft, addiction, small-time dealings. Many ran barefoot through nearby neighborhoods, chased by police well into the early morning.
Sindh’s Chief Minister, Murad Ali Shah, admitted the prison made a critical error. “It was a mistake to let them out of the cells,” he said. Around 80 escapees have been caught so far. For those still out there, his message was clear: come back now, or risk turning your small-time charges into terrorism-level offenses.
“This isn’t just about a jailbreak,” said one anxious mother outside the prison. “This is about fear, about poor systems, and about people who’ve already been broken once, now breaking again.”
