District courts attack: Fizza Malik’s father demands justice

Claims police investigation, as well as suo motu, at standstill.

The father of one of the victims of the March 3 attack at Islamabad’s district courts has appealed to the new Chief Justice of the Supreme Court to provide justice to the aggrieved families.

Tariq Malik, the father of Fizza Malik, who was among 11 people killed when militants stormed the courts, said the culprits should be brought to justice. He was talking to journalists at his residence on Tuesday.

He said the Supreme Court took suo motu notice of the incident but after more than five months, the police investigation is yet to complete and the judgment has also not been announced so far.

While expressing grief over the incident, he said no minister or official from the federal government visited him to offer condolences.

Islamabad High Court Bar Association’s President Mohsin Kiyani, when contacted, said he is thinking of filing another petition regarding the incident as the suo motu taken by former chief justice Tasadaq Hussain Jillani the case remains unprocessed and further action needs to be taken.

Responding to questions, Malik said his and other affected families were distributed and disappointed due to the delays in the investigation.  He said they have established a trust under his daughter’s name, to help carry on her mission to make a difference in the world.

Fizza Trust would offer need-based scholarships to young girls seeking an education in law, he said, adding priority would be given to applicants from the rural areas of Pakistan.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 23^rd, 2014.