PESHAWAR: Declaring violence against Peshawar schoolchildren a national tragedy, Chief Justice of Pakistan Nasirul Mulk on Thursday announced he would ensure the speedy disposal of cases pending with the country’s anti-terrorism courts.

He also said he would soon convene a meeting of the high court judges tasked with supervising anti-terrorism courts to formulate strategy for the purpose.

The announcement came during a condolence reference organised here by the Peshawar High Court.

The chief justice, who belongs to Swat valley of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said the killing of innocent children of Army Public School and College was a national tragedy, which was the most condemnable act.

He said Peshawar was his home and he was in a state of shock over the school violence and wanted to visit the families of the deceased to share their grief.

Says convening a meeting of judges supervising ATCs to formulate strategy

Justice Nasirul Mulk said close relatives of some lawyers had died in the violence and he felt their pain.

He said a judge in each high court had been given the duty of administrative judge of the anti-terrorism courts in the province.

“Soon a meeting of those judges would be convened in which the cases pending with anti-terrorism courts will be evaluated and a plan will be chalked out for early disposal of cases,” he said.

Supreme Court Bar Association president Fazle Haq Abbasi, Peshawar High Court Bar Association president Essa Khan and general secretary Ayaz Khan, and others also addressed the event.

Essa Khan said steps should be taken for early disposal of cases pending with anti-terrorism courts.

He said under the anti-terrorism act, a court had to conduct day-to-day proceedings in a case but that provision had not been followed.

The PHCBA president asked the government that if there was a shortage of anti-terrorism courts, more judges should be inducted for the purpose so that the pendency of terrorism-related cases could be reduced.

Other speakers condemned Peshawar violence and demanded early arrest and punishment of its masterminds.

Also in the day, the chief justice visited the Peshawar Combined Military Hospital along with high court judges and inquired after the injured students and staff members of the Army Public School and College.

He prayed for the early recovery of all the injured.

The chief justice also visited some lawyers whose relatives were killed in the school attack.

He prayed to the Almighty Allah to rest the departed souls in peace and give courage to the bereaved families to bear the loss.

Meanwhile, members of the Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan executive committee visited the Peshawar High Court Bar Association offices and condemned the Peshawar school attack.

President of the committee Fazal-i-Haq Abbasi, who led visitors, expressed solidarity with the families of the deceased, especially children of lawyers, and said perpetrators of ‘such cowardly acts’ were the biggest enemies of Islam and Muslims.

The SCBA members later visited families of some schoolchildren, who died in the terrorist attack, and visited the Combined Military Hospital to inquire after the injured.

They presented bouquets to the injured and prayed for their speedy recovery.

The SCBA members appreciated the government’s decision to abolish moratorium on death penalty and said the lifting of moratorium should be applicable to terrorists and other outlaws alike.

Published in Dawn, December 19th, 2014