KARACHI: Prosecutors and investigation officers appearing in the anti-terrorism courts will be trained at the Sindh Judicial Academy because a defective investigation and prosecution of cases is leading to acquittal of criminals.

This was stated by provincial authorities at a high level meeting presided over by Supreme Court Justice Anwar Zahir Jamali, the monitoring judge of the ATCs in Sindh.

The meeting was attended by ATC judges in Karachi, in-charge judges of the Sindh High Court for the ATCs — Justices Munib Akhtar and Mohammed Ali Mazhar — the additional chief secretary, home, police department’s law officer AIG Ali Sher Jhakrani and member inspection team — II Judge Abdullah Channa.

The participants in the meeting expressed their dissatisfaction over the performance of police investigators and prosecutors appearing in the ATCs as several accused in cases of heinous crimes were acquitted mainly due to defective investigation by the police and poor prosecution by prosecutors.

Official sources said that Justice Jamali directed the provincial authorities to provide immediately infrastructural facilities for all ATCs in the province.

They said that the authorities were also directed to make legislation to place the court staff of the ATCs under the administrative control of the SHC.

The police authorities were also directed not to transfer an investigation officer until the completion of an investigation.

The ATC judges were also asked to invoke Section 27 of the Anti-Terrorism Act to initiate action against the investigation officer who conducted a flawed investigation of a case.