None of 1,500 alleged terrorists convicted in Sindh

ISLAMABAD: Law enforcement agencies arrested more than 1, 500 militants, their majority later declared ‘jet black terrorists’, since the Rangers-led operation in Karachi but not a single accused has been convicted so far, exposing flaws in existing terrorism laws which proved a stumbling block to swiftly execute the National Action Plan (NAP).

“As many as 1, 507 militants were arrested while nearly a thousand (1, 000) have even been declared ‘jet-black terrorists’ in last 41 months. Rangers Sindh with assistance of Sindh police arrested them since September 2013—but not a single terrorist was convicted in anti-terrorism courts so far,” read an official data prepared by the government of Sindh. The exclusive data also made available with Geo Television Network (Programme ASKKS) was shared with the third meeting of the Implementation Committee of the NAP. National Security Adviser Lt Gen (R) Nasser Janjua presided over this meeting in second week of this month in Islamabad.

These terrorists belonged to Islamic States (Daesh), al-Qaeda, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), Peoples Amman Committee (PAC), Jeay Sindh Muttahida Mahaz (JSMM), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) Sipah-e-Mohammad Pakistan (SMP), Hizb-ul-Tahree-Hizub-ul-Ahrar, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi al-Almi, Tehree-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and its splinter groups.

“Sindh Rangers had handed over 7,115 jet black terrorists, militants, target killers, ‘bhatta’ collectors and other criminals to provincial police for further action. They all were arrested in 9, 027 operations conducted by Rangers in Karachi since September 2013,” official data continued to reveal.

“237 (3.3 percent) criminals and target killers were convicted—not a single terrorist was convicted by any anti-terrorism court,” a senior official of Sindh Rangers confirmed to The News, seeking anonymity.

Personnel of Sindh Rangers arrested 614 terrorists, the maximum number, in 2, 466 operations conducted in Karachi in 2015. The forces also arrested 478 terrorists in 3, 085 operations in 2014, official data continued to reveal.

The forces also nabbed 356 terrorists in 2, 022 operations last year in Karachi while they also arrested 51 jet black terrorists in 1, 298 operations conducted in last four months of 2013.

The law enforcing agencies arrested 298 terrorists belonged to al-Qaeda, TTP and other religious banned groups and 296 activists of these banned outfits were killed in various operations during this time. The forces also killed 86 activists of LeJ, SSP, SMP and other sectarian militants’ groups and arrested 267 activists of these groups. The law enforcing agencies have also arrested 121 militants of BLA, JSMM and LGW by killing 41 activists of these organizations during this operation.

Rangers Sindh personnel also apprehended 1, 101 target killers and 452 ‘bhata’ collectors, mostly having political affiliation in the port city. Around 576 target killers have had affiliation with militants’ wings of various political parties, 145 target killers belonged to the LGW/the PAC, 170 target killers belonged to militants’ wings of sectarian parties and the rest of target killers have had affiliation with proscribed organizations.

Law enforcement agencies also killed some 1,300 terrorists who were allegedly involved in various terror related incidents in past 41 months in Karachi, revealed the data. The law enforcement agencies, under the NAP in Karachi, also filed cases against 12, 354 accused under Sindh Arms Act, 2013 but not a single accused was convicted so far, official data continued to reveal. Police filed cases against 59 hate mongers under hate speech laws but still there happened no conviction. The data further revealed that police filed cases against 749 clerics under Loud-Speakers Act, 1965 but no one has been convicted yet. Some 29 cases were registered against terrorists in Southern, Eastern and Western Zones of Karachi but no conviction has happened in any court yet. Police registered 512 cases under ‘Wall Chalking’ laws against the accused but not a single accused has been arrested so far, revealed the official data.

Police registered 89 cases against 111 militants under ‘action against display of arms laws’ but not a single accused was not convicted during this period in Karachi. Despite repeated requests made by this correspondent, Sindh Rangers, Police and provincial government gave no comment on this worrying sign.

Afzal Shigri, who served as Inspector General Police Sindh in 1994-1995, observed that the government was not serious enough to execute the NAP with true spirit. Poor conviction ratio is a big question mark on our criminal justice system, Mr Shigri, a retired police officer, remarked. We neither witnessed any serious effort from the civilian government to protect witnesses to secure the evidences nor saw any will to de-politicise the police, he further said. Rangers’ operation means to regulate the law and order system but ultimately we have to empower the police, he observed.