Witnesses wanted: Agencies to hand over 900 terror suspects to K-P govt
K-P govt reaches out to public to put terrorists behind bars.
PESHAWAR:
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government is seeking the support of thousands of witnesses to appear before court and help bring nearly 900 accused terrorists, being handed over by security agencies to the provincial government, to justice.
“We make an appeal to all concerned persons to help us by appearing before the courts as witnesses against terrorists held in different jails of the province, and bring them to justice,” said Khyber- Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Barrister Arshad Abdullah, while talking to the media outside the Peshawar High Court here on Monday.
The minister said prisoners held in different K-P jails were still being interrogated and would be handed over by the security agencies after the completion of all security procedures.
“Security agencies are in the process of handing over around 700 to 900 prisoners to the provincial government,” said Abdullah, adding that the government had decided to establish internment centres in the province to house these terrorists at a separate location.
“The decision to shift these terrorists was taken due to security concerns as they needed to be kept under strict surveillance,” the minister said, adding that once the internment centres had been established, relatives of the accused terrorists and their lawyers would be allowed to visit them.
The minister went on to add that thirty-two cases would be reinvestigated. Since witnesses were unwilling to appear before the court, the minister said the government has decided to publicly seek the support of such witnesses to help resolve the situation as quickly as possible.
“We are proud that we don’t have any differences with the judiciary,” the minister said, while addressing the High Court Bar Association, adding that the setup of a judicial academy in the province was also under way.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 21st, 2012.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government is seeking the support of thousands of witnesses to appear before court and help bring nearly 900 accused terrorists, being handed over by security agencies to the provincial government, to justice.
“We make an appeal to all concerned persons to help us by appearing before the courts as witnesses against terrorists held in different jails of the province, and bring them to justice,” said Khyber- Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Barrister Arshad Abdullah, while talking to the media outside the Peshawar High Court here on Monday.
The minister said prisoners held in different K-P jails were still being interrogated and would be handed over by the security agencies after the completion of all security procedures.
“Security agencies are in the process of handing over around 700 to 900 prisoners to the provincial government,” said Abdullah, adding that the government had decided to establish internment centres in the province to house these terrorists at a separate location.
“The decision to shift these terrorists was taken due to security concerns as they needed to be kept under strict surveillance,” the minister said, adding that once the internment centres had been established, relatives of the accused terrorists and their lawyers would be allowed to visit them.
The minister went on to add that thirty-two cases would be reinvestigated. Since witnesses were unwilling to appear before the court, the minister said the government has decided to publicly seek the support of such witnesses to help resolve the situation as quickly as possible.
“We are proud that we don’t have any differences with the judiciary,” the minister said, while addressing the High Court Bar Association, adding that the setup of a judicial academy in the province was also under way.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 21st, 2012.