Full court reference: ‘End targeted killings by setting aside political compromises’

SHC judges and members of bar hold reference for murdered lawyer.

KARACHI: It is imperative to rise above political compromises to restore peace in the city, otherwise there is no guarantee that the new government will complete its tenure, said Sindh High Court Chief Justice Mushir Alam on Friday.

Presiding over a full court reference to pay tribute to the lawyer killed in the targeted attacks, he expressed concerns over continuous targeted killings of the members of the legal fraternity and paid homage to them. He praised the efforts of the lawyers for continuing their struggle for justice in the prevailing security situation in the city.

Justice Alam said that once the police arrests culprits, it is the duty of the prosecution department to ensure that they are punished. “The deteriorating law and order is because of our collective negligence,” said the cheif justice referring to the rampant target killings in the city. “This is the time to put aside compromises and show the will to restore peace - otherwise the coming generations will not forgive us.”

Compensation

The chief justice urged that the families of the targeted lawyers should be compensated by the government in a respectable manner, adding that the court had ordered constitution of a committee to look into the educational expenditures of the children of the slain lawyers. He expressed hope that the Sindh Advocate General’s Office would be able to convince the government to shun the policy of overlooking the issues.



He also praised the AG’s Office for rendering assistance to the court in deciding the missing persons’ cases, urging the bar associations to depute senior lawyers to assist the courts in deciding such cases.

Earlier, Advocate General Abdul Fatah Malik lashed out at the government for failing to bring an end to the targeted killings of his community members. According to him, targeted attacks were not only being carried out, but the witnesses of such killings were also being eliminated. Its responsibility lies not only with the courts, but also with the political groups.

“Karachi’s situation has become worse than any far-flung village,” said Malik. “The people of Karachi must rise up against the lawlessness. Holding references will serve no purpose as these cannot compensate for the loss suffered by the victims’ families.”

Karachi Bar Association President Muhammad Naeem Qureshi criticised the government for not bringing the killers of his slain colleagues to task. Since the 2007 murder of Advocate Raja Riaz, not a single suspect has been arrested in link with the lawyers’ killings, claimed Qureshi.

He held the government responsible for being indifferent to the plight of the victims’ families. “No one cares for their children - they were paid some compensation by the bar associations but the government has not given a single penny to the bereaved families,” he claimed, demanding compensation to be provided honourably as ordered by the Supreme Court in the Karachi law and order suo motu case. Judges of the high court, members of the SHC Bar Association, Karachi Bar Association, Malir District Bar Association, Sindh Bar Council, government law officers and senior lawyers attended the reference.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 1^st, 2013.