Balochistan CM, provincial, federal ministers told lies: SC told

 Commission’s report on Quetta carnage

Report says leadership deficit at Interior Ministry leading towards confusion over war on terrorism; media ignores victims, highlights terrorists’ viewpoint

ISLAMABAD: The Inquiry Commission on Quetta carnage on Thursday informed the Supreme Court that the Balochistan chief minister and some provincial and federal ministers made false statements about the case. 

In a shocking revelation, it said the Interior Ministry is suffering from a leadership deficit and confusion about the war on terrorism. It said bureaucrats of the minister indulged in pleasing the interior minister, who doesn’t know in the war on terror.  It reported that the two attacks on August 8, 2016, are inextricably linked and were carried out by the same group.

The Commission, headed by Justice Qazi Faiz Isa, a judge of the Supreme Court (SC), submitted its report in the SC. The SC on October 6, 2016 constituted the Commission on the attacks wherein 56 lawyers were martyred and approximately 92 advocates wounded.

The Commission in its findings observed that the identities of the suicide bomber and his companion were discovered only after the Commission’s intervention, which involved directing the police to have photographs of the terrorists forensically enhanced and printed in the newspaper with an offer of a reward for further information. Consequently, an informant came forward and revealed the identity of the suicide bomber along with some of his accomplices.

These were not the first attacks committed by these terrorists and if the functionaries of the State had established a bank of forensic information on past attacks, and pursued the cases, they may have prevented the attacks of August 8, 2016. In this regard the 2012 Terrorism Case Judgment has still not been implemented, says the findings of the Inquiry Commission.

The Commission observed that the people have been subjected to sustained terrorist attacks, which continue unabated, and deserve answers and recommended that those who have failed the people need to be held accountable. 

“Things cannot go on as they have been and without top-tier accountability, it is unlikely systemic change will be possible,” says the Commission in recommendations. It observed that Islam is being corrupted by extremist ideology, adding that the public space needs to be reclaimed to counteract the virulent propaganda of the terrorists. 

“If Pakistan is to be a tolerant citadel of peace and inter-faith harmony, where people abide by its laws, then the laws and Constitution have to be reestablished,” the commission further recommended and observed that the State, which has receded in the face of those spreading hatred and murder, must re-exert itself.

It also recommended that the solution to the menace of extremism and terrorism is straightforward. “Abide by the laws: the Anti-Terrorism Act (“ATA”), the National Counter Terrorism Authority Act (“Nacta Act”), the Pakistan Penal Code, and above all the Constitution of Pakistan (“the Constitution”). It is an abomination to have laws, and not enforce them,” it said. 

It recommended that the Anti-Terrorism Act needs to be enforced, and terrorists/terrorist organisations must be proscribed without delay. They must not be permitted to hold meetings. Those claiming to be members of proscribed organisations should be prosecuted in accordance with ATA.

It observed that the people of Pakistan require knowing the reasons why an individual or organisation has been proscribed. Acts committed by terrorists, or those claimed by them, should be listed.

It recommended that the list of proscribed organisations and individuals must be displayed in English and in Urdu, on the websites of Ministry for Interior, NACTA, Ministry of Information, Ministry of States and Frontier Regions, Home Departments of all provinces and territories, and widely disseminated. Any addition to the list of proscribed individuals or organisations should be publicly announced.

ATA is equally applicable to public functionaries and they should not be cavorting with proclaimed members of banned organizations. Hypocrisy must stop, says the commisison’s finding adding that there needs to be a nationwide streamlining of national policy and all government servants need to abide by it, or face the consequences.

The Commission found that the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) must be providing valuable input to combat terrorism but surprisingly it can’t be contacted to convey information on suspicious or terrorist related activities. 

ISI does not have a website, address, email, or telephone number, the Commission observed, adding that it (Commission) checked whether the intelligence agencies of other countries were also unreachable. 

The Central Intelligence Agency (“CIA”), Federal Bureau of Intelligence (“FBI”) and the National Security Agency of the United States of America (“US NSA”) provide contact particulars on their publicly viewable websites. Military Intelligence Section 5 (“MI5”), Secret Intelligence Service (“SIS”), National Counter Terrorism Security Office (“NaCTSO”) and the Counter Terrorism Command (“CTC”) of the United Kingdom also provide contact details on their publicly viewable websites, it said. 

Major points of the report are reproduced as follows: 

The Minister for Interior has: 1. Displayed little sense of ministerial responsibility, 2. Called only one meeting of the Executive Committee of Nacta in over three and a half years, 3. Violated the decisions of the Executive Committee of Nacta, 4. Met the head of a proscribed organisation, widely reported in the media with his photograph, but still denied doing so, 5. Accepted the demands of the proscribed organisation regarding CNICs, 6. Inexplicably delayed in proscribing terrorist organisations, and 7. Not proscribed a well known terrorist organisation.

The country incurs huge financial costs as a consequence of terrorism, but spends little to minimise its effects or prevent it.

The media has very few stories about the victims of terrorism. Media coverage seems to converge around the propaganda of terrorists, which is disseminated in breach of section 11W of the ATA.

If the media broadcasts and propagates the views of terrorists, then those doing so must be prosecuted in accordance with the law.

The Anti-Terrorism Act has been violated: Proscribed organisations continue their illegal activities and new terrorist organisations are proscribed after long delays. Some terrorist organisations have still not been proscribed or prosecuted, even when their statements acknowledging terrorist attacks are broadcasted and printed.

In the expert opinion of the accomplished Director General of PFSA, forensic laboratories should be not under the jurisdiction of the police, but of scientists.

All crime scenes should be professionally secured, forensically examined, and extensively photographed as soon as possible.

LEAs must be instructed and directed not to resort to aerial firing in the aftermath of terrorist attacks as it further terrorises the victims and dissuades doctors and emergency personnel to come forward to render first aid and assistance.

Protocols or standard operating procedures should be developed with the help of experts as how LEAs should act/react after a terrorist attack and disseminated immediately. Protocols or procedures should also be developed for hospitals, including triage.

Nacta must be activated. It must do what the Nacta Act mandates. Periodic meetings need to take place of the Board of Governors and Executive Committee.

The Commission prepared a counter narrative to extremism ideology, as there continues to be a lacuna even after three years and nine months since the Nacta Act was enacted. 

All educational institutions, including madaris, need to be registered.

Entry into and departure from Pakistan needs to be properly monitored; all persons must have the requisite documentation and be photographed and thumb impressed by the personnel of FIA. The customs authorities should ensure that contraband is not brought into the country.

When the police surrounded the terrorist hideout in Huramzai, they called the FC for reinforcements. Even after three hours, the FC did not come to their aid. Therefore, one can only repeat what the Balochistan High Court in its Terrorism Case Judgment had directed four years ago: “We direct the Federation of Pakistan, through the Ministry of Interior/Defence, to issue requisite instructions to the Frontier Corps ("FC") deployed in Balochistan to come to the immediate assistance of the local law enforcement agencies when called upon to do so. Standing operating procedures in this regard should be developed, which should detail how best an effective cooperation methodology between the local law enforcement agency and the nearest FC post be developed”.

“To effectively combat extremism and terrorism public support is essential; therefore I recommend that this Report be made available to the media and to the public, and also uploaded on to the Supreme Court website. I wanted to translate this Report into Urdu but could not do so within the allotted time, and as such would recommend its translation into Urdu by the staff of Supreme Court, subject to my review to ensure accuracy. This Report may also be sent to every ministry, department, and institution mentioned in it,” the Commission said.

The Government’s credibility was undermined by the Chief Minister, the Home Minister, and by their spokesman, when they made irresponsible statements to the press. In these statements, fabricated leads were widely broadcast, disrupting the investigation, and creating false expectations.

  The Ministry of Interior is without clear leadership and direction; consequently, it is confused about its role in combating terrorism. The Ministry’s National Security Internal Policy is not being implemented. The Officers of the Ministry appear more interested in serving the Minister than the people of Pakistan.

The National Action Plan is not a plan in any structured or meaningful way, nor has its goals been accordingly monitored or implemented.

There is a breakdown in the implementation of law and order, which has led to rules being repeatedly violated without consequences, and this has fostered a culture of nepotism. There are unabashedly clear instances of nepotism when unqualified individuals were illegally appointed. This includes the illegal appointments of at least four Secretaries, including the Secretary Health Department (brother of a retired Lt. General and Federal Minister).

Government Service has been undermined by arbitrarily disrupting the rules of business. This has increased Ministerial interference, politicised the service, weakened discipline, and engendered corruption.

Multiple problems have arisen due to the division of the province into ‘A’ and ‘B’ areas, respectively under the Police and Levies.  

The Hospital is completely dysfunctional:

(a) It is extremely filthy and unhygienic.

(b) There are no first aid kits available.

(c) There are no adequately equipped ambulances.

(d) There is no firefighting equipment.

(e) There are insufficient stretchers.

(f) Basic hospital instruments/equipment is not available, or where available, it is in a deplorable condition.

(g) There are no visiting hours.

(h) There is no monitoring or checkpoints at the entry/exit in the hospital or even supervision, visitors can enter the hospital premises at anytime and visit any part of the hospital.

(i) VIPs do not respect the sanctity of the Hospital.

(j) The existing security system is wholly inadequate.

(k) Most of the employees at the hospital appear to have no work ethic.

(l) The prescribed uniform is worn by almost none of the Hospital staff.

(m) There is no discipline and accountability of the Hospital employees.

(n) Hooliganism prevails amongst innumerable Hospital employees.

(o) A large number of Hospital employees do not come to work.

(p) Junior officers are appointed as medical superintendents.

(q) There are no protocols in place at the Hospital to attend to terrorist attacks.

Triage has not been established, that is, protocol for prioritising sick or injured people for treatment according to the seriousness of their condition or injury.

The lives of numerous injured were saved upon receiving prompt treatment. However, there were innumerable staff members missing/absent at the time of the blast, and the ill equipped facilities available were insufficient to cover the needs of the injured, and so, many more injured were left unattended to and had to be shifted to another hospital. Had doctors, nurses, and paramedics come forward to treat the injured there would have been no need to shift them and consequently no further loss of life.