Acquittal of cases: Terror spread as culprits walked free
Frequency with which terrorists are acquitted by courts is one of major failings of Pakistan’s judicial system.
Critics say Pakistan’s low conviction rate of militants, even high-profile ones who have carried out major attacks, is one reason why extremism has spread in the country.
The frequency with which terrorists are acquitted by courts is considered one of the major failings of Pakistan’s judicial system.
A feature, published in The Express Tribune magazine on August 5, 2012, cited an official report that stated that between 1990 and 2009, out of 311 cases, 231 resulted in acquittals.
Most cases end in acquittals due to defects in the registration of cases, ie, the lodging of the FIR at the relevant police station, the report said.
The leading reason for acquittals, it adds, is that the accused are often not even nominated in an FIR, an objection raised by anti-terrorism courts in 36% of the judgments.
Even when suspects are named in the FIR, it is without a description of the accused or of the role they are believed to have played in an attack, rendering the report almost useless before the court.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 19th, 2012.