Quetta carnage case fixed for Sept 20

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan Anwar Zaheer Jamali on Wednesday took suo motu notice of a deadly bombing on a hospital in Quetta in which mostly lawyers were killed.

A suicide bomber targeted the emergency services ward at Quetta’s Civil Hospital on August 8, killing over 70 people and leaving scores injured. Notices have been issued to the advocate general, IG and the chief secretary Balochistan. The suo motu notice was taken on a notice forwarded by the SC Registrar’s office.

The notice stated that the Quetta incident has raised doubts about the state of governance in the country, Balochistan in particular.

“The way the planned incident took place brings into question the efficacy of the state machinery. Lack of security arrangements, despite past precedents, points at the miserable failure of the provincial government and law-enforcement agencies to avert the tragic incident.

“Lack of proper security arrangements by the administration constitutes violation of the fundamental right of life and liberty guaranteed under Article 9 of the constitution.”

Moreover, insufficient arrangements and medical facilities in the hospital of the provincial headquarters resulted in further loss of life, the notice stated.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 1^st, 2016.