Critics say Pakistan’s low conviction rate of militants, even high-profile ones who have carried out major attacks, is one reason why extremism has spread in the country.
The frequency with which terrorists are acquitted by courts is considered one of the major failings of Pakistan’s judicial system.
A feature, published in The Express Tribune magazine on August 5, 2012, cited an official report that stated that between 1990 and 2009, out of 311 cases, 231 resulted in acquittals.
Most cases end in acquittals due to defects in the registration of cases, ie, the lodging of the FIR at the relevant police station, the report said.
The leading reason for acquittals, it adds, is that the accused are often not even nominated in an FIR, an objection raised by anti-terrorism courts in 36% of the judgments.
Even when suspects are named in the FIR, it is without a description of the accused or of the role they are believed to have played in an attack, rendering the report almost useless before the court.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 19th, 2012.
COMMENTS (10)
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Inept/corrupt police and judiciary makes for a bad combo. This isn't a new phenomena and you still haven't taken steps to alter your laws nor remove the inept/corrupt people responsible for administrating those laws. Your never going to solve your terrorist problem until you step up to the plate and fix this issue.
@sanam: Who has assigned Shoaib Suddle to investigate the case of Mr.Pious Chaudhri?
Justice only get served when it is case against Blasphemy, for every other cases it is a failure of prosecution and police.
Failure of the parliament to amend the anti-terror and criminal investigation procedures law.
When the judiciary knows that the prosecution is deliberately kept weak and the police are corrupt and politicised, it is their duty to exercise the immense powers vested in them to drag out the truth and ensure that justice is done and seen to be done.
I think politicians are the main beneficiary of all the failings of the judiciary. The FIR is intentionally filed as faulty because of securing the subsequent acquittal of the politician concerned. The vagueness of filling the FIR helps the politicians in another way too. Here, this vagueness allows the politicians to carry out blame game. So, in order for us to get rid of this situation we may have to get rid of the present band of politicians otherwise no respite!
Its not the failure of judiciary Its the failure of prosecution and police. Stop spreading lies.
The judicial system depends on facts and evidece and a genuine ability and will to prosecute.
Expecting the judiciary to hand down sentences on whims and gut feeling is preposterous. It may seems like a good idea now but injustice breeds injustice.
When the Courts let off Hafiz Saeed, people were defending it as saying he was let go by the courts after no evidence was found against him.
At that point it was convenient to ignore the system as Hafiz Saeed was targeting India and killing Indians. Now that apathy and sometimes glee at India's requests to book Terrorists is coming to haunt Pakistan.
Now, other people are similarly being let off; people who can do Pakistan a lot of harm.