NWFP, FATA prisons breeding grounds for jihadis - India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

Prisons and detention centres across the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) have become a breeding ground for the terrorists as they utilise these to propagate their nefarious objectives among the other detainees. A little heard of terror group, Takfiris is also using these facilities for recruitment, The Nation quoted former prisoners and police sources, as saying. "Prisons are full of children, illiterate, semi-literate, and straight-forward people who are easy prey for terrorists," said an intelligence official on conditions of anonymity. "We have high profile terrorists, commanders, Taliban foot soldiers, preachers, would-be suicide bombers, etc, apprehended during the course of the conflict, who have access to almost everyone in prisons. The irony is that many religious inmates see them as a role model," he added. Many terror suspects enjoy great respect and admiration in prisons where they are consulted to settle issues among inmates and their verdict is accepted happily. "They are educating inmates while focusing on newcomers and they will soon become radicalised and justify mass killings," officials said. The extremists consider police and security forces as infidels and encourage others to launch suicide strikes against them, which would enable them to secure a place in paradise. According to an estimate about 2400 convicted and under-trial prisoners, including 300 juveniles are currently locked in the Peshawar Central Jail, in which the number of terror suspects run in hundreds. The jail officials have no idea about how many inmates have been converted into terrorists after indoctrination in the prisons.