Witness protection programme: Promises, promises...

The judges were told, however, that a new law - Witness Protection Bill - had been prepared.

KARACHI:

The Supreme Court was extremely clear in identifying that witnesses were not turning up to court for fear of their lives which is why the conviction rate was low.

The judges were told, however, that a new law - called the Witness Protection Bill - had been prepared along the same lines as laws in other countries. It seeks to protect the witnesses and their families so that they could record their testimonies in court. According to Waseem Ahmed, the additional chief secretary for the home department, the Sindh government had set aside Rs10 million for the programme since relocation is involved. The government understands the dire need for such a protection programme as the situation in the city is worsening, he added. The judges wondered aloud how this could be moving forward as all projects were still in the pipeline.

1992 operation links: Compensation for cops killed after retirement   

The Supreme Court bench questioned IG Fayyaz Leghari about the details of policemen - those who took part in the 1992 operation in Karachi - who had gone missing or were killed and whether their legal heirs had been compensated or not.

The IG said that 254 police personnel, who either fought or were witnesses, had been killed. Compensation had been paid to the legal heirs of 39 of them, while the children of 64 people were qualified for jobs in the department. Eight policemen did not qualify and 13 of the personnel were killed after retirement.

The court directed the IG to produce FIRs relating to the murders of 13 men, whose heirs did not qualify for compensation because they were killed after retirement. “An official who has done a good job during his service must be declared entitled irrespective of his death after retirement,” a judge remarked.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 26^th, 2012.