ATCs to be shifted from Sultanabad to Sindh Secretariat

The courts have been receiving threats from terrorists.

KARACHI:

Even the Anti-Terrorism Courts (ATCs) are now being terrorised - following security threats, the courts are being shifted from their current location in Sultanabad to the Sindh Secretariat.

The courts have been operating in Sultanabad since 1997. When the Anti-Terrorism Act was passed in that year, five courts were initially set up. Later, two courts were closed because of the shortage of judges.

Over the years, Sultanabad has become notorious for being a hot spot for militants who have challenged the writ of the state. For instance, the head constables of the Manghopir and Shershah police stations were gunned down in the area in February last year.

To augment problems, the current structure housing the ATCs was formerly a rest house belonging to Karachi Metropolitan Corporation and had not been designed to function as a court building. Its small bedrooms were suddenly transformed into courtrooms. One room was also quickly converted into a lock-up by installing metal bars covered with thin wire-mesh outside it.

These arrangements have caused problems to crop up. For instance, an under trial prisoner, Rajab Ali, had managed to slip out of the lock-up after his hearing on February 4.

During the Abbas Town blast case hearing on Friday, the apex court had brought up the issue of a rest house being used as a court building. “To conduct court proceedings, judges are sitting in places [which are] supposed to be kitchens or small rooms.” The Supreme Court had then directed the chief secretary to make immediate alternate arrangements for housing the courts.



While talking to The Express Tribune, law secretary Ghulam Nabi Shah said, “The apex court has now given an order to relocate the ATCs, but that was already on the cards a week ago.”

The home department’s additional chief secretary, Wasim Ahmed, said two more ATCs have been sanctioned for the city, bringing the total up to five. Ahmed said that the ATCs will now be housed in barracks next to the finance department. He added that the barracks would also have lock-ups. The provincial government has already handed over two barracks to the Sindh High Court.

The province currently has 11 ATCs and the apex court has issued directives to the government to increase the number. The law secretary said the chief minister had approved summary a few days ago to set up one ATC in Kandhkot, Kashmore. “The law department has now referred the summary to Chief Justice of Sindh High Court for his approval after which three new courts will be established,” said the law secretary. “We need a bigger budget because buildings and infrastructure are dilapidated,” said the law secretary, adding around 631 cases are currently pending in the city’s ATCs. Given this backlog, the Supreme Court has directed that district and sessions judges be given the power to hear anti-terrorism cases for at least three months.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 10^th, 2013.