ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court was informed on Wednesday that Balochistan police had arrested a suspect involved in the Aug 8, 2016, Quetta carnage in which at least 74 people, mostly lawyers, had lost their lives.

Deputy Inspector General of police’s Counter Terrorism Department Aitzaz Goraya told a three-judge bench headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khosa that besides nabbing Saeed Badini, police were also conducting raids with the help of intelligence agencies to arrest two fugitives. Five of the terrorists involved in the incident had already been killed in an encounter, he said.

The Balochistan government has already announced a head money of Rs2 million each for the attackers, whereas posters with their pictures on them have also been placed in different areas of Quetta.

The Supreme Court had taken up a follow-up case on a critical report by one-man inquiry commission of Justice Qazi Faez Isa on the Aug 8 suicide attack at Quetta’s Civil Hospital. In the report, the commission stressed the need for proscribing terrorist organisations without any delay by enforcing the Anti-Terrorism Act in letter and spirit.

Court irked by non-implementation of inquiry commission’s recommendations

The report also touched upon the general callous disregard for human life by doctors and paramedics, saying the absence of doctors and other staff of Sandeman Provincial Hospital, Quetta, where the suicide bomber had struck, contributed to the misery of the victims, some of whom undoubtedly perished for not receiving timely treatment.

The Supreme Court expressed displeasure over the lack of progress in implementing the recommendations made by the inquiry commission and said it would itself monitor the implementation of the report.

The court asked the provincial government to submit a comprehensive report highlighting steps taken to rectify the situation that should also include upgrade of Sandeman Hospital, details regarding payment of compensation to the heirs of the deceased lawyers, reasons of not setting up an endowment fund to meet the educational needs of the children of the victims, expenses so far made for the treatment of the lawyers injured in the incident, employment of one member of every victim family and housing scheme for the families of the victims.

Advocate Hamid Khan, representing the Balochistan High Court Bar Association, regretted that despite promises, the government had not established Rs250 million endowment funds to ensure education of the children of the victims. The court accepted the request of senior lawyer Khawaja Haris Ahmed to appear on behalf of the interior minister in place of Makhdoom Ali Khan to represent their concern over the commission’s report.

The commission regretted that Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had on Oct 21, 2016, met Maulana Mohammad Ahmed Ludhianvi, the head of three banned organisations — Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan, Millat-i-Islamia and Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat — to listen to his demands and conceded to them as per media reports.

Consequently, the interior ministry moved a rejoinder in which it termed the findings of the damning report on Quetta terrorism unnecessary, uncalled for and violative of natural justice. The ministry said the adverse remarks and observations made were without any evidentiary basis and denied the fundamental rights of those affected.

It also explained that the interior minister was not scheduled to meet a delegation of ASWJ led by Maulana Ludhianvi, as alleged by the commission. Rather the minister was scheduled to meet a delegation of Defa-i-Pakistan Council (DPC) — not a proscribed organisation and an umbrella organisation of 35 religious and political parties such as JUI-S, JUP, Muslim Conference, AJG, JuD, Muslim League (Zia), Awami Muslim League, etc. The minister was unaware that Maulana Ludhianvi would accompany Maulana Samiul Haq since he had no prior notice of Maulana Ludhianvi’s arrival.

The apex court also decided to hear a suo motu case relating to the Mardan bomb blast along with the Quetta carnage case when it was informed that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa also had not fulfilled its promises. The case will be taken up on Sept 12.

Published in Dawn, July 27th, 2017