Appeals of cases to be shifted to Lahore

LHC ordered all appeals against acquittal of terror suspects cases to be shifted to its principal seat, i.e. Lahore.


Rana Tanveer June 22, 2010

While disposing of proceedings of suo moto on acquittal of terror suspects in three cases, the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday ordered all appeals of these cases be shifted to its principal seat, i.e. Lahore.

On June 19, the LHC Chief Justice (CJ) Khawaja Muhammad Sharif  had taken suo motu notice on the acquittal of terrorists accused of attacks on the Manawan Police Training School, Marriot Hotel, and two suicide attacks in Lahore in 2008 in which an army Surgeon General Lt-Gen Mushtaq Baig, a colonel and fourteen others  were killed.

A division bench of the LHC headed by the CJ asked the Punjab Prosecutor General Sayed Zahid Bukhar and Islamabad SSP Tahir Aalam to provide necessary documents on the appeals filed so they could be presented before a bench of the LHC within two weeks time.

The CJ issued these orders on the request of the prosecutor general who said that any observation or decision of the court on this matter, would affect the result of the appeals.

The prosecutor-general added it would be best if the appeals are presented before a special division bench of the LHC. “In this way the matter can be discusses at length,” he said.

During the proceedings, the Chief Justice said: “When an accused terrorist is acquitted due to lack of evidence, people get the impression that the courts are lenient on terrorists.”

All the responsibility of acquittals falls upon the shoulders of the courts and I want share the responsibility with you, the chief justice said while addressing the prosecutor-general.

“If proper evidence is presented against the accused and prosecution handles the case properly, no terrorist can be wrongly freed,” he said.

The prosecutor general admitted that there were some faults on part of the prosecution and they were trying to remove them gradually.

Addressing the Inspector General of Police Tariq Salim Dogar, Chief Justice Muhammad Sharif said:  “When criminals are arrested tall claims of success are made, which is meaningless when you fail to provide concrete proof in the end.”

Published in The Express Tribune, June 23rd, 2010.

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