ISLAMABAD, Jan 29: The Chief Justices Committee (CJC) on Tuesday released a list of factors owing to which the government had failed in supporting the anti-terrorism courts (ATCs), a day after the decision that armymen would be sitting with ATC judges.
Interior Minister Moinuddin Haider announced on Monday establishment of 15 special ATCs with army officers sitting with the judges to dispose of a case within 15 days.
The committee in its meeting presented a list of factors that delayed cases in the ATCs, and resolved to bring them to the notice of the government for appropriate action.
The meeting, presided over by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Mohammad Bashir Jehangiri, was attended by Justice Sheikh Riaz Ahmad, designate Chief Justice of Pakistan; Justice Fazal Ellahi Khan, CJ Federal Shariat Court; Justice Raja Fayyaz Ahmad, CJ Balochistan High Court; Justice Falak Sher, CJ Lahore High Court; Justice Shakir Ullah Jan, CJ Peshawar High Court; and Justice Sabih Uddin Ahmad, judge Sindh High Court.
In the past all such attempts to create parallel judicial system were opposed by the superior courts and they had struck down the setup of military courts for the trial of civilians in Karachi.
The CJC in an official announcement stated that the ATCs did not have sufficient infrastructure including support staff, type writers, fax machines and computers etc.
The CJC also noted that sufficient budget was not allocated for the ATCs and the budget so allocated should be placed at the disposal of high courts concerned instead of provincial governments.
Investigating officers, the CJC said, did not submit chargesheet in time and sometime transfer of investigation took place in quick succession which should be discouraged. The prosecution failed to produce witnesses before the court.
The chief justices of all the superior courts, noted that police also failed to serve the purpose of the court, and reports from chemical examiner and ballistic experts were delayed.
It further stated that defence counsels adopted negative attitude and remained absent without any intimation, and in some cases the lawyers engaged at state’s expense were not accepted by the desperate accused.
The CJC noted that no ATC had so far been formed in Balochistan and the NWFP, which was delaying the trial of terrorism cases. In Balochistan only two ATCs were being set up which would not be sufficient keeping in view the distances involved, the CJC felt.
It was further stated that witnesses did not appear against the desperate criminals for lack of security.