KBA calls for strike against inadequate court security

KARACHI: Karachi Bar Association (KBA) president Mehmoodul Hassan announced an indefinite strike against the failure of the police to provide adequate security to the city courts.

Addressing an emergency press conference on Saturday, he said that judges and lawyers would not appear in courts from Monday until security was ensured.

Hassan regretted that proper security arrangements were not in place by the administration despite repeated efforts to draw their attention to the issue.

Holding the Sindh home minister, IG Sindh and CCPO Karachi responsible for the security lapse, the KBA president demanded their resignation. “No one is safe inside the court, including the judges and lawyers, and a similar incident can take place anytime in the future,” he warned.

Last year, the KBA committee had a detailed meeting in October last year with all the SSPs, the DIG Traffic, the additional home secretary, administrative judge Maqbool Baqir and KBA former secretary Naeem Qureshi.

It was then decided that five out of the 10 gates of the city courts’ entrances will be closed and CCTV cameras and metal detectors were to be installed in the premises.

In 2010, with a new KBA body taking oath, the security officials visited the city courts and assured the lawyers of proper security enforcements.

But none of the measures were implemented and according to the KBA general secretary Naeem Qureishi, no one took the security of the lawyers seriously. “We constantly requested them to provide security but they intentionally ignored it,” Qureishi said, adding that despite the increasing incidents of UTPs escaping, no one took action.

The cameras installed at the district courts were damaged during the May 12 violence in 2007 and since then, neither did the KBA have funds to install cameras nor could the government increase funds due to monetary constraints.

The government of Sindh had assured foolproof security arrangements for the city courts with heavy contingents of police and Rangers deployed at all the gates of the court - but the decision awaits implementation.

Around 20,000 people visit the city courts every day but there are only 35 constables in the City Courts Police Station for their security.