KARACHI, Nov 13: Authorities in the provincial government have failed to relocate three anti-terrorism courts in Karachi from the Old KMC rest house building to a suitable and secure place despite the fact that the superior judiciary asked them to do so a year ago, it emerged on Sunday.

There are 11 anti-terrorism courts (ATCs) in Sindh, of which three are in Karachi's high-security zone on M.T. Khan Road.

Although personnel of law-enforcement agencies have been deputed there for security, the building is in a bad condition, with the boundary walls damaged and so low that anyone could climb over them to enter the premises.

In September 2010, Justice Mushir Alam, who was then acting Chief Justice of the Sindh High Court, paid a visit to the ATCs and expressed concern over the poor security arrangements in place there.

He also ordered the authorities to shift the ATCs to any other suitable place, but it appears that the provincial authorities have not been able to comply with the court's directive.

A numbers of hardened criminals and terrorists have been tried and convicted by the ATCs and a number of similar cases have been pending trial for which dozens of undertrial prisoners, including suspected members of the banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan and other militant outfits, are brought there from jails on a daily basis.

Sources said the shabby condition of the ATC building, inappropriate location of courts and inadequate security arrangements were posing a great security threat to judges, lawyers, litigants, UTPs, courts staff and others.

No security had been provided to prosecutors of the ATCs despite the fact that they had sent requests to the authorities concerned to provide them security as required under Section 21 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, the sources said.

After Justice Mushir Alam's visit, the then SHC Chief Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmany, who was later elevated to the Supreme Court, while speaking at a lawyers' programme had also highlighted the growing security concerns among the judges of the subordinate judiciary and said that he sent recommendations to the provincial authorities that all the subordinate courts, special courts and tribunals be centralised and shifted to the Karachi central prison premises.

And on Sept 27 this year, a two-member Supreme Court bench comprising Justices Anwar Zaheer Jamali and Sarmad Jalal Osmany took up the matter pertaining to the security and accommodation of the judges of the ATCs for hearing at its Karachi registry.

The Sindh chief secretary, the provincial finance and law secretaries and others appeared in court and undertook that the issue regarding shifting of the ATCs to a suitable place would be resolved within 15 days.

However, it has been over a month since the undertaking was made and the provincial authorities have yet to implement the superior judiciary's directives and recommendations.