Prisoners take jailers as hostage in Pak

Islamabad: Inmates at a jail in Pakistan's southern Sindh province took 12 jail officials as hostage on Saturday alleging harassment from the prison staff.

Hundreds of prisoners lodged at the Khairpur jail also gathered on the roof of the jail building during break period and chanted slogans against authorities, District Police Officer Javed Jaskani told reporters in Islamabad.

The 450 protesting inmates refused to return to their cells after the break ended, an official said.

The prisoners are holding the jail staffers in a cell and have refused to set them free unless they were assured of solution to their problems.

Police force was called out from different parts of the district to quell any possible violence, Jaskani said.

Jaskani said the inmates were complaining about the conduct of jail authorities.

Besides accusing the jail authorities of demanding money, the inmates also complained that they were not being taken in time to courts.