The police have failed to catch the terrorists who attacked the Islamabad District Courts. PHOTO: MUHAMMAD JAVAID/EXPRESS
The Islamabad police have failed to track down any suspect in the March 3, 2014 terrorist attack on the Islamabad District courts.
A senior legal officer told The Express Tribune that the Islamabad Police report submitted in the suo motu case on the attack has told the Supreme Court that a Joint Investigation Team was constituted to probe the incident but did not provide any information on the arrest of any suspect.
Deputy Attorney General Sajjid Illyas Bhatti submitted the report on behalf of the Islamabad Police.
At least 12 people including Additional Sessions Judge Rafaqat Awan were killed and 29 others wounded on March 3, 2014 during a gun-and-bomb attack in the F-8 katcheri.
Meanwhile, the Islamabad police report said it could not rule out the possibility that some police officials fled the scene and a departmental inquiry has already been initiated to investigate this.
It also says that five police officials have been dismissed from service for negligence relating to the case.
According to the report, 15 policemen had been suspended, and recently, the Operations SSP, ASP and SDPO presented themselves before the Establishment Division.
The report further states that 105 police officials are currently deputed around the District courts in three shifts, adding that different capacity building programmes have also been initiated for police officials.
A three-member bench comprising Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali, Justice Gulzar Ahmed and Justice Dost Muhammad Khan has directed the DAG to provide a copy of the report to the Islamabad High Court Bar Association (IHCBA) president as well as the Islamabad Districts Courts so that they can submit their respective rejoinders.
During the hearing, IHCBA President Mohsin Akhtar Kiyani informed the court that after the attack, the IHC chief justice had constituted a commission which gave a number of proposals, but the federal government had not implemented them. He added that the government has not increased the compensation for the heirs of the murdered lawyers.
Justice Dost Muhammad remarked that in Pakistan if someone commits crime or found negligent of his duty he is awarded or promoted. He asked the DAG where these officers have been posted. Justice Jamali stated the court had to see two things. First, the enhancement of the compensation amount and the second what action had been taken against those police officers who were found negligent of their duties.
Sajjid Illyas informed that the government had paid compensation to the families of deceased and injured lawyers and that the federal government was now considering enhancing the compensation amount. The grants provided were Rs500,000 as compensation for each deceased advocate.
Justice Dost Muhammad remarked that the government usually did not give lawyers anything, but it should at least provide money to the injured lawyers and the families of deceased advocates.
The case was adjourned for two weeks.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 3rd, 2015.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ