Paucity of funds: SC rejects investigation reports on lawyers’ killings

Judges observe cases are not being investigated properly due to lack of funds


Our Correspondent September 02, 2015
A file photo of the Supreme Court of Pakistan. PHOTO: AFP

KARACHI: The Supreme Court (SC) rejected reports submitted by the home and police departments regarding investigations into the killings of lawyers in the province.

A two-member bench, headed by Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmany, ordered to club the suo-motu proceedings with those relating to the allocation of funds for the Sindh police's investigation wing to pass appropriate orders in both the cases.

The bench, which also comprised Justice Amir Hani Muslim, was hearing suo motu proceedings, at the SC's Karachi Registry, initiated on the request of the legal fraternity's members over continuous targeted killings of the lawyers in Sindh.

At the outset of proceedings, reports were submitted on behalf of the home secretary and the legal AIG. The officials stated in the reports that the chief minister had increased the amount of compensation paid to the heirs of the slain lawyers. Now, each family will get Rs500,000, the report stated.

They further stated that 41 cases regarding the murders of lawyers were registered in Karachi, of which the charge-sheets in 13 cases had been submitted to the relevant trial courts. "The killers of Advocate Salahuddin Ahmed Haider and his son have been awarded the death sentence," the report claimed, adding that 13 cases relating to lawyers' targeted killings were pending trial in the concerned courts.

The home authorities revealed that the suspects, including Ajmal Pahari, who were allegedly involved in the murder of the former advocate-general Iqbal Raad, the defence lawyer of the Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz chief Nawaz Sharif in the plane hijacking case, have been acquitted. The suspects, including Asif Ali Zardari and others, who stood trial in the Justice Nizamuddin's murder case, have already been acquitted of the charges, the report maintained.

It further said that the suspects, including Wamiq and Syed Nadeem Zaidi, who were arrested in connection with the burning to death of six lawyers during riots in Karachi on April 9, 2008 have also been acquitted due to the lack of evidence.

The home department's report depicted the state of helplessness of the authorities instead of any progress made by them in the high-profile cases. This led the judges to believe that the acquittals were a result of poor investigation, which was largely a result of the paucity of funds among other reasons.

The bench members summoned the home secretary, the finance secretary, the police IG and the investigation officer of Syed Amir Haider Shah's murder case.

Later, the home secretary appeared and informed the court that from now onwards, every investigation officer would get 25 per cent of the total funds earmarked for the case at the time the case will be assigned to him. In this regard, the East SSP has been provided funds worth Rs1 million.

The bench members remarked that suspects are transported to courts in rickshaws because the officers who get funds do not provide the same to the investigation officers. They remarked that the reports suggest that no progress has been made in most of the cases of lawyers' killings as the suspects go scot-free because of poor investigation.

Adjourning the hearing till the next session, the bench directed the office to club proceedings of this case with those relating to the allocation of funds for the police's investigation wing so that both could be heard together and appropriate orders could be passed.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 3rd,  2015.

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