News
Thursday, September 15, 2011
SC to fully support govt for Karachi peace: CJP
* Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry says Karachi situation will improve after Supreme Court’s verdict
* Political parties must discard criminals from their ranks
KARACHI: The Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP), Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, has said that the Supreme Court (SC) will extend its full support to the government to control law and order situation in Karachi so that lives and properties of innocent citizens could be protected.
He made this assurance during the hearing of a suo motu case on target killings and violence in Karachi at the Supreme Court (SC)’s Karachi Registry on Wednesday.
A larger bench of the SC, comprising CJP Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali, Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmani, Justice Amir Hani Muslim and Justice Ghulam Rabbani, was hearing a suo motu case on target killings and violence in Karachi.
CJP took notice of a statement issued by the Federal Interior Minister, Rehman Malik, in which Malik said, “Several arrested target killers confessed during the investigation that they belonged to various political parties.”
The CJP said that it was a matter of grave concern.
The CJP also expressed serious concern over a statement issued by Sindh Inspector General of Police (IGP) Wajid Durrani in which the (IGP) had said, “Approximately 30 to 40 percent police personnel are the supporters of terrorists.” The CJP said this won’t help in controlling law and order situation. Chaudhry said it was responsibility of the government and law-enforcement agencies to provide protection to people.
He said if the government, at any time, ignored its duties, there would be a breakdown in law and order situation. “The government needs to strengthen its writ before dead bodies surface on roadsides, playgrounds and in gunny bags,” he said.
The CJP also declared that the court would not think about “who gains or loses after the verdict is pronounced,” adding, “It will keep in mind that the verdict will be based on justice.”
He also expressed dissatisfaction over the fact that the Joint Investigation Team’s (JIT) report was not submitted directly by the government but through other channels.
The CJP also asserted that everyone denounced criminals and that they would not be protected. He said that criminals would have to surrender.
On the other hand, a bench member, Justice Jalal Osmani, said that there was a lack of political ethics on the part of the government, which is why the country had witnessed military interventions.
Osmani further said that the government had totally failed and added that law and order situation was purposely being kept this way.
The IGP Sindh Durrani also informed the court during the hearing “that 50,000 arms’ licences were issued from the period of 1947 till 2001, but 0.5 million licences were issued from 2001 to up-till now.”
Earlier, the Attorney General Maulvi Anwarul Haq said that situation in the city had improved after the CJP had taken a suo motu notice of the Karachi violence.
Former federal law minister Dr Babar Awan, counsel of the federation, also appear with an article before the court, in which it was stated that the head of the armed forces was also an executive.
The CJP reprimanded him and said whenever the executive was referred to it was always the government.
The CJP advised Awan to remain focused on the ongoing case and bring “practical thoughts” to the court.
The CJP asked all political parties to announce their repudiation of criminal elements among their ranks.
“ After the SC’s decision on the suo motu case, law and order situation in Karachi would also improve”, the CJP remarked during the proceedings.
SHC Bar Council President Anwar Mansoor, during his arguments, submitted that linguistic, political and religious issues were behind the incidents of violence in the city.
To this the CJP did not agree and said there was no Shia-Sunni or any other ethnic dispute in Karachi. asghar azad/app
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk