Sindh govt submits reply over JIT reports

The Sindh government submitted its reply in the Supreme Court's Karachi registry on Wednesday over a plea pertaining to making the joint investigation team (JIT) reports for the Baldia factory fire, Uzair Baloch and Nisar Morai public.

The reply, submitted by the Sindh advocate-general, stated that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader and federal minister Ali Zaidi had levelled serious allegations against the provincial government in the National Assembly and therefore the Sindh government had decided to make the JIT reports public.

The reply further claimed that the reason for not making the reports public earlier had been to avoid influencing cases that were under trial.

The government sought to take back its request on the matter, pointing out that it was no longer relevant after the reports had been shared with the public.

Sindh Police Act, 2019

Meanwhile, a plea challenging the Sindh Police Act, 2019, was filed in the SC Karachi registry.

The petitioner, Iqbal Kazmi, maintained in his detailed plea that the law was formulated under the 18th Amendment and contradicted the Constitution. According to him, a state within a state was being created in the name of the amendment. He added that the act in question had been passed on the basis of political interests and would be used to undermine the role of the Sindh police chief.

The petitioner claimed that 1,175 police officials had been martyred in the last 12 years, but those who provided patronage to the murderers were rewarded. He further added that elected representatives obtained votes by patronising criminals, while the Sindh Police Act, 2019, had been enforced in order to gain political sway over the provincial police force.

Moreover, he alleged that the Rangers were empowered to maintain peace and security in Karachi, but not the rest of the province because political leaders feared they would lose their influence if crime and unrest were curbed in the rest of Sindh.

He further stated that the frequent replacement of the Sindh IG in the 12 years of the current provincial government's rule proved that the Sindh government wanted to use the police department to further its own political interests.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 9^th, 2020.