Shifted out of Karachi, 92 high-profile terror cases pending for a year

Karachi
Proceedings of more than 90 high-profile cases, transferred from anti-terrorism courts in Karachi to other districts of the province due to security reasons, have not concluded even after the passage of a year’s time.
The Sindh High Court (SHC) had ordered shifting of 92 high-profile terrorism trials — including cases of the SHC chief justice convoy attack, Abdullah Shah Ghazi’s shrine blast, killings of Special Public Prosecutor Naimat Ali Randhawa and Muttahida Qaumi Movement MPA Sajid Qureshi and police officers — on the request of Sindh government citing security and protection for witnesses as the main reason for seeking transfers.
However, The News has learned that proceedings on most of the 92 high-profile terrorism cases have been stalled on technical grounds, which include the absence of under-trial suspects, case properties and the relevant record.
Around 38 cases are pending before the anti-terrorism courts in Hyderabad, 42 in Sukkur, six in Khairpur and one remains pending before an anti-terrorism court in Shikarpur district.
Sources said that during a recent meeting convened to review the progress of high-profile trials following the directives of Supreme Court of Pakistan for speeding up their proceedings, it transpired that the almost all cases were still pending before courts without any significant progress.
The meeting was informed that absence of the police investigators and witnesses, and, unavailability of case properties and police files, despite repeated directions of the courts concerned prevented the trials from proceeding. Even after a year, most of the trials transferred out of Karachi were still stuck at the same stage.
In this regard, sources said while talking to The News, the SHC monitoring judge Justice Mohammad Ali Mazhar issued directives to the home secretary Abdul Rahim Soomro and Sindh IGP Ghulam Hyder Jamali to ensure that case properties and police files of all trials are sent to the courts concerned as soon as possible.
During the meeting, the Sindh IGP was also directed to depute at least two ASIs from its investigation branch to visit the respective anti-terrorism courts in Hyderabad, Sukkur, Khairpur and Shikarpur every week to collect the summons for trial and ensure the presence of investigation officers concerned at the hearings.
Sources said that Justice Mazhar also ordered the home secretary and Sindh police chief to make arrangements for transportation of witnesses, who lived in Karachi, to the courts concerned for deposition on every date of hearing.
He also asked all anti-terrorism courts hearing the 92 high-profile terrorism cases, to make sure that statements of all eyewitnesses who travel from Karachi are not sent back without recording their ocular evidence.
The Sindh government was also directed to effectively implement the Sindh Witness Protection Act 2013 to ensure the safety of key eyewitnesses.