Ultimatum: Arrest Quetta carnage plotters before Aug 19, PBC tells government

Threatens to stage protest in front of Parliament House

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) has issued an ultimatum to the federal and Balochistan governments to apprehend the culprits behind the Quetta carnage by August 19 or face a demonstration in front of Parliament House.

The country’s top body for lawyers also said that all other provincial/Islamabad bar councils and bar associations will also take part in the demonstration. The three-hour protest is expected to begin at 11:00 am on the stipulated date.

PBC representatives also urged Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali to initiate suo motu proceedings for the arrest of the culprits. Both the demands were passed in a unanimous resolution adopted by the PBC. The resolution came in a meeting held under the chairmanship of the Attorney General of Pakistan Ashtar Ausaf Ali on Saturday.  During the meeting 21 members of the body were present.

The council also observed that the Quetta incident has exposed the inefficiency of the federal and provincial governments. It added that a blame game has been initiated to cover up the tragic incident.

Insiders told The Express Tribune that during the meeting when the body rejected the AGP’s demand of omitting the federal goverment’s name, he withdrew his support for the resolution.

The bar body also said that the sum of Rs10 million announced for the rehabilitation of families of the slain advocates should be released within 15 days. In addition, the PBC also demanded that Rs5 million should also be given to lawyers injured in the attack.

Council members also decided that a sum of Rs20 million would be contributed by the PBC to those who lost their loved ones as well as those injured in the Quetta incident. It said that Rs15 million shall be contributed from the Advocate Benevolent and Welfare Fund of the Pakistan Bar Council out of the 20 million. However, Rs5 million shall be individually contributed by Pakistan Bar Council members and other lawyers.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 14^th, 2016.