Safoora bus attack: ATC directs Sindh home dept to appoint public prosecutors

The two previous prosecutors resigned due to security issues

KARACHI: After delayed investigations, the Safoora bus attack case has suffered another setback of no prosecution. For the past few hearings the case proceedings have come to a halt. This is because there is no legal officer tasked to pursue the case on behalf of the state.

Irked by this situation, the anti-terrorism court hearing the case directed the provincial home department on Thursday to appoint a special public prosecutor so that the case could proceed. A letter addressed to the home secretary read that the case cannot proceed due to non-prosecution. It added that earlier two lawyers, Muhammad Khan Burero and Mubashir Mirza, had submitted their 'vakalatnamas' on behalf of the state but they did not show up again.



The direction came a day after the investigation officer of the case told the court that the provincial government has yet to appoint any legal officer in the case since the resignations of two special public prosecutors. Burero and Mirza, Pakistan Peoples Party's veteran lawyers, were tasked the case in mid-August.

In the Safoora bus attack case, they, however, detached themselves from the proceedings citing a number of reasons, with security concerns being on top. Burero, in October, had told the media that since the case involved the globally banned terrorist organisation, Islamic State, security risks were always high. He added that at the time of their appointment they were promised security and safe accommodation but neither of them was given anything.



The ATC-VI judge, Javed Ahmed Keerio, has asked the authorities to appoint a prosecutor immediately, so that the case could proceed. A number of applications filed by the suspects are pending in court. The final investigation report is awaited by November 22.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 13^th, 2015.