Report on court attacks: Inquiry report accuses police of cowardice
Contradicting the force’s claims, the report charges them with inefficiency.
A police commandos stop a photo journalist near a local court building after a gun and suicide attack in Islamabad on March 3, 2014. PHOTO: AFP
ISLAMABAD:
Contradicting the police’s claim, an inquiry committee – headed by Justice Shaukat Aziz Saddiqui – has said there were four terrorists, who actively participated in the March 3 attack on Islamabad district courts, in which 12 people including a judge were killed.
The inquiry report has also charged all police officials of inefficiency and cowardice and recommended registration of criminal cases along with departmental actions against them.
The Islamabad High Court Bar Association (IHCBA) president Mohsin Akhtar Kiyani, while submitting a concise statement before the Supreme Court on Wednesday, revealed some facts about the inquiry committee’s report, which the apex court has kept secret so far.
On the last date of hearing, the court had allowed him to go through the report in the registrar office and submit a concise statement.
“The report has divided the insight on the number of assailants/terrorists on the basis of details provided by the witnesses on description of terrorists, wherein the conclusion remarks has given the finding of four terrorists, who actively participated in the heinous act,” Kiyani said.
Expressing satisfaction over the inquiry report, the IHCBA president said the commission had put a tremendous and continuous effort for the collection, reconciliation of all kinds of linkages and important pieces of the puzzle for the preparation of a complete picture on the subject.
“It includes the National Forensic Science Agency (NFSA) reports in order to determine the exact number of assailants, kind of explosives and number/kind of weapons used on the basis of scientific evidence,” he added.
He said the report provided details of 44 police officials, who were present on duty that day with weapons and their specific roles – including lapses, negligence, misconduct and non-performance of duty. All the officials including the SSP, IG Islamabad and ICT administration have admitted their failure, he added.
The IHCBA president, however, refused to shift Islamabad district courts from F-8 Markaz on a temporary basis as per the inquiry committee’s recommendation.
He said all judges and lawyers should be given training by relevant authority and be issued weapon licences. He also requested that Islamabad District Bar Association should be allowed to register cases against the officials, who did not perform their duties on March 3.
“The judges of district courts should be sent on rotation to different provinces; moreover, there are certain judges, who have personal animosities, which is also a factor that will cause security issues. Therefore, all such judges should immediately be transferred,” he recommends.
However, the apex court’s three judge bench – headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Tassaduq Hussain Jilani – rejected these recommendations. The court observed it was considering asking the federal government to form a special force to provide security to judges.
The court also sought reply from attorney general of Pakistan regarding the matter and adjourned the hearing till April 15.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 10th, 2014.
Contradicting the police’s claim, an inquiry committee – headed by Justice Shaukat Aziz Saddiqui – has said there were four terrorists, who actively participated in the March 3 attack on Islamabad district courts, in which 12 people including a judge were killed.
The inquiry report has also charged all police officials of inefficiency and cowardice and recommended registration of criminal cases along with departmental actions against them.
The Islamabad High Court Bar Association (IHCBA) president Mohsin Akhtar Kiyani, while submitting a concise statement before the Supreme Court on Wednesday, revealed some facts about the inquiry committee’s report, which the apex court has kept secret so far.
On the last date of hearing, the court had allowed him to go through the report in the registrar office and submit a concise statement.
“The report has divided the insight on the number of assailants/terrorists on the basis of details provided by the witnesses on description of terrorists, wherein the conclusion remarks has given the finding of four terrorists, who actively participated in the heinous act,” Kiyani said.
Expressing satisfaction over the inquiry report, the IHCBA president said the commission had put a tremendous and continuous effort for the collection, reconciliation of all kinds of linkages and important pieces of the puzzle for the preparation of a complete picture on the subject.
“It includes the National Forensic Science Agency (NFSA) reports in order to determine the exact number of assailants, kind of explosives and number/kind of weapons used on the basis of scientific evidence,” he added.
He said the report provided details of 44 police officials, who were present on duty that day with weapons and their specific roles – including lapses, negligence, misconduct and non-performance of duty. All the officials including the SSP, IG Islamabad and ICT administration have admitted their failure, he added.
The IHCBA president, however, refused to shift Islamabad district courts from F-8 Markaz on a temporary basis as per the inquiry committee’s recommendation.
He said all judges and lawyers should be given training by relevant authority and be issued weapon licences. He also requested that Islamabad District Bar Association should be allowed to register cases against the officials, who did not perform their duties on March 3.
“The judges of district courts should be sent on rotation to different provinces; moreover, there are certain judges, who have personal animosities, which is also a factor that will cause security issues. Therefore, all such judges should immediately be transferred,” he recommends.
However, the apex court’s three judge bench – headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Tassaduq Hussain Jilani – rejected these recommendations. The court observed it was considering asking the federal government to form a special force to provide security to judges.
The court also sought reply from attorney general of Pakistan regarding the matter and adjourned the hearing till April 15.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 10th, 2014.