Witness harassment main cause of acquittals

LAHORE:

Over 150 accused in terrorism and other high-profile cases have been acquitted by anti-terrorism courts across Punjab, official documents have revealed.

Fourteen courts in the province have adjudicated on 511 cases over 530 days between January 1 last year and June 15 this year, according to official data obtained by The Express Tribune, and acquitted 154 people.

During the first six months of this year, as many as 131 cases have been heard. Those accused in 42 cases were acquitted while those in 89 cases were convicted, official documents show. Meanwhile, in 2010, 380 terrorism and other high-profile cases were decided by these courts. Accused in 112 cases were acquitted, while those in 268 cases were convicted.

According to the head of the department’s monitoring cell, chief prosecutor Chaudhry Muhammad Jahangir, the main reason for acquittal is withdrawal of witnesses who either change their testimonies or refuse to appear due to fear and pressure.

He said that in many cases, even complainants back out because of extraneous pressure, adding that in some cases, witnesses presented by investigation officers are rejected because of various reasons.

Defective investigation, he said, also hampers proper prosecution.

According to the Punjab Public Prosecution Department’s standard operating procedures (SOP), however, every case pending in anti-terrorism courts is considered a high-profile case and given special attention by prosecutors.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 2^nd, 2011.