Targeting lawyers: As families bury their dead, govt offers money for information on cases
One million rupees for anyone who can provide information leading to arrests.
KARACHI:
The funeral prayers for three lawyers killed a day earlier at Pakistan Chowk were held amid high security and a tense atmosphere at Hussaini Imambargah in Malir, Saudabad on Thursday.
Hundreds of people attended the funeral, including Shia ulema and lawyers. The National Highway was temporarily shut from the Kala Board section to secure the area.
The Jafri family lost three family members: Badar Munir Jafri, 65, his son Gohar Shakil Jafri, 34, and Badar’s nephew Kafil Jafri. They were buried in Model Colony graveyard. Babar Ali Jafri is struggling to recover from his injuries.
Aun Mohammad Naqvi and Maulana Mohammad Ali Taqvi spoke at the funeral. “The government has failed to protect citizens from our community,” said Taqvi, saying that banned organisations were responsible.
Aun Mohammad Naqvi didn’t mince his words. “Nothing has been done since our protest at Governor House,” he said. He also lambasted the media for not giving the coverage these happenings deserved. If this continues, he said, they would boycott the media as well.
The Shia Ulema Council is observing three days of mourning and court work has come to a standstill in Karachi and other parts of the country.
The killings have put pressure on the police. At the home minister’s office, the top police and intelligence officers sat around a table to try and come up with some solutions. Home Minister Manzoor Wasan announced that the Sindh government will be offering a cash incentive for anybody who is willing to give information to the police concerning violent sectarian activities. “If the information is accurate and the informer assists security officials, the informer will receive one million rupees.”
Part of the problem in these cases is that informers or witnesses are too scared to come forward. There is no witness protection program in place to protect citizens once they give evidence, information or testify and this is a reason why many cases have such low conviction rates; informers are in too much fear to come forward even if they have information. “We are trying to get a witness protection bill through,” said Wasan. “They will report anonymously for now.”
Wasan didn’t stop there. He also has a new carrot-and-stick approach for the police as all police stations will be monitored and evaluated. He said that they would be punished if they fall short, but he failed to specify how.
When asked how the police and government could talk to banned groups, Wasan replied, “I don’t mean the banned organisations of course and the Ahle Sunnat [wal Jamaat] is not banned, the Sipah-e-Sahaba is separate.”
The Ahle Sunnat wal Jamaat was formerly called Sipah-e-Sahaba.
When the three lawyers were killed at Pakistan Chowk near a newspaper’s office, police were already deputed in the area but didn’t act when the violence exploded. “Those constables have been arrested because they should have opened fire on the suspects,” Wassan said. He said that they were increasing their manpower at the courts as lawyers had complained.
Wasan revealed that three attempts were thwarted - during Eid ul Adha, on the 10th of Muharram and on the Chehlum. They were on especially high alert for 12 Rabi-ul Awwal.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 27th, 2012.
The funeral prayers for three lawyers killed a day earlier at Pakistan Chowk were held amid high security and a tense atmosphere at Hussaini Imambargah in Malir, Saudabad on Thursday.
Hundreds of people attended the funeral, including Shia ulema and lawyers. The National Highway was temporarily shut from the Kala Board section to secure the area.
The Jafri family lost three family members: Badar Munir Jafri, 65, his son Gohar Shakil Jafri, 34, and Badar’s nephew Kafil Jafri. They were buried in Model Colony graveyard. Babar Ali Jafri is struggling to recover from his injuries.
Aun Mohammad Naqvi and Maulana Mohammad Ali Taqvi spoke at the funeral. “The government has failed to protect citizens from our community,” said Taqvi, saying that banned organisations were responsible.
Aun Mohammad Naqvi didn’t mince his words. “Nothing has been done since our protest at Governor House,” he said. He also lambasted the media for not giving the coverage these happenings deserved. If this continues, he said, they would boycott the media as well.
The Shia Ulema Council is observing three days of mourning and court work has come to a standstill in Karachi and other parts of the country.
The killings have put pressure on the police. At the home minister’s office, the top police and intelligence officers sat around a table to try and come up with some solutions. Home Minister Manzoor Wasan announced that the Sindh government will be offering a cash incentive for anybody who is willing to give information to the police concerning violent sectarian activities. “If the information is accurate and the informer assists security officials, the informer will receive one million rupees.”
Part of the problem in these cases is that informers or witnesses are too scared to come forward. There is no witness protection program in place to protect citizens once they give evidence, information or testify and this is a reason why many cases have such low conviction rates; informers are in too much fear to come forward even if they have information. “We are trying to get a witness protection bill through,” said Wasan. “They will report anonymously for now.”
Wasan didn’t stop there. He also has a new carrot-and-stick approach for the police as all police stations will be monitored and evaluated. He said that they would be punished if they fall short, but he failed to specify how.
When asked how the police and government could talk to banned groups, Wasan replied, “I don’t mean the banned organisations of course and the Ahle Sunnat [wal Jamaat] is not banned, the Sipah-e-Sahaba is separate.”
The Ahle Sunnat wal Jamaat was formerly called Sipah-e-Sahaba.
When the three lawyers were killed at Pakistan Chowk near a newspaper’s office, police were already deputed in the area but didn’t act when the violence exploded. “Those constables have been arrested because they should have opened fire on the suspects,” Wassan said. He said that they were increasing their manpower at the courts as lawyers had complained.
Wasan revealed that three attempts were thwarted - during Eid ul Adha, on the 10th of Muharram and on the Chehlum. They were on especially high alert for 12 Rabi-ul Awwal.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 27th, 2012.