September 28, 2008	Sunday	Ramazan 27, 1429

KARACHI, Sept 27: The Sindh High Court inquiry tribunal investigating the April 9, 2008 violence was told on Saturday that the security cell of the police did not have any information to share that could pinpoint the reasons and people behind the widespread violence in which 10 people were killed, six of them burnt to death in an arson attack on Tahir Plaza.

“We did not have any prior intelligence report about the violence,” said Dr Mohammad Ameen Yousufzai, SSP Security, before the tribunal headed by Justice Nadeem Azhar Siddiqui. “So we did not make any arrangements for that particular day; neither we were told to do so.”

Secondly, he said, his team was supposed to look after VIP movements and make security arrangements for mega events rather than focus on other happenings or occasions. The SSP for security was not mandated to handle routine law and order situation and that was why he was unable to report anything related to the April 9 violence, he added.

“Our responsibilities include security of VIPs and their movements, and similarly we are assigned security for mega events. Law and order situation or events like April 9 don’t fall under our jurisdiction of operations,” stated Dr Yousufzai.

At least 10 people were killed, including six burnt to death, in an arson attack on Tahir Plaza on M.A. Jinnah Road, when violence erupted in the city after groups of lawyers clashed at the City Courts a day after the manhandling of former federal minister Dr Sher Afgan Khan Niazi in Lahore.

Police record shows that a total of five people were wounded and 61 vehicles burnt in the large-scale violence in different parts of the city. With the conclusion of its fourth open proceedings, the tribunal, which was set up in June 2008 by the Sindh government with the terms of reference “to find out reasons and people behind the widespread violence”, has recorded statements of a total of 80 witnesses, and adjourned its proceedings till Oct 11.

The tribunal later examined 18 other police officers who either registered or investigated the cases for the April 9 violence, and came up with a common fact that none of the complainants of the FIRs nominated any suspects and the investigation were still going on to locate the unknown miscreants.

The tribunal also came to know that not a single suspected person involved in the violence had been arrested, yet neither the investigators had been able to identify any of the miscreants during the course of investigations.

An officer who lodged an FIR against the killing of some half a dozen people inside Tahir Plaza also appeared before the tribunal and recorded his statement. Sub-Inspector Waheed Iqbal of the Risala police station said that on April 9 he rushed to the Civil Hospital to record the statement of one of the injured but the hospital staff did not allow him due to the critical condition of the victim.

“When I was there (Civil Hospital), some six bodies including that of two of women were also brought to the hospital, who were burnt to death in Tahir Plaza,” he stated. “Only one of them was identified till the time I was there as Dawar Hussain. Later, we lodged an FIR on behalf of the state against these killings.”

The day-long violence left some 34 cases registered by different police stations across the city. The police stations in the south zone of the police organisational system registered a total of 15 FIRs on April 9 followed by the east zone, where the police registered 13 FIRs against unknown miscreants. Some six cases were registered at police stations in the west zone.

The tribunal has so far recorded statements of 80 witnesses, including those policemen who registered or investigated cases of vehicle burning and damage to public and private property. The tribunal also examined Junaid whose water tanker was set on fire by unknown miscreants in the Korangi Industrial Area.

“The tribunal will examine a few police officers during its next proceedings,” Additional Advocate-General Sarwar Khan, appointed to assist the tribunal, told reporters after the proceedings. “They include the SP (CID) and officers who investigated murder cases registered on April 9 and related to that particular day-long violence.”

He said the tribunal, which was initially asked to come up with a report within two weeks, had been awarded another month to conclude the proceedings and reach the conclusion.