Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) has constituted five-member larger bench
for hearing of suo moto notice taken regarding Karachi target killing
and notices has been issued to attorney general of Pakistan, president
supreme court bar association and president Sindh high court bar
association to appear and assist the court in Karachi target killings
case fixed tomorrow (Friday).
According to the press release issued by the court the SC issued
notices to Attorney General of Pakistan to appear and submit a
comprehensive report about the incidents which have been taken place in
Karachi for the last more than one month.
Further, Supreme Court has directed Chief Secretary and PPO Sindh
through Advocate General Sindh to submit details of the incidents.
President, Supreme Court Bar Association as well as President Sindh
High Court Bar Association have also been issued notices to appear and
assist the Court on 26.08.2011 (Friday).
A five member Special Bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar
Muhammad Chaudhry and comprising Justice Mian Shakirullah Jan, Justice
Nasir-ul-Mulk, Justice Tariq Parvez and Justice Ghulam Rabbani has been
constituted to hear the case.
The notice was taken on a statement of Allama Tahir-ul-Qadri which
appeared in a section of media calling for action on Karachi situation.
Upon which, the Chief Justice passed the order that Put up a detailed
note with the support of News Items published in different Newspapers.
In the meantime CDs/DVD from different Channels be also collected. Put
up on 24.08.2011.
CDs/DVD were received from different channels and office submitted a
detailed note that Common problems, (pointed out in the attached copies
of press clipping of Al-Akhbar, Daily Express, News, Nawa-i-Waqt, Jang,
Daily Times, Frontier Post, Nation, Sahafat, Aaj ki Awaz and CDs/DVDs
provided by Express, GEO, SAMA, PTV, AAJ, Duniya and Dawn News
Channels) presently being faced by the residents of Karachi, are that
their lives and properties are not safe; frequent killings of innocent
citizens have made their lives miserable; the citizens are being
abducted for ransom; beheaded dead bodies with tied arms and legs of
the innocents wrapped in sacs are being recovered in large numbers
daily; street crime is in abundance; different groups are involved in
target killings; the police and rangers are watching merely as
spectators; and the top government functionaries are callously viewing
the situation with no inclination to maintain the writ of the State.
According to the press release different views have been expressed
by the observers, analysts and anchormen about causes of this
catastrophe. One view is that different groups like MQM, PPP and ANP in
order to establish their hegemony, have restored to clashes and target
killings; another view attributes interference of foreign powers like
America, Israel and India to the creation of this tragic situation;
some say that it is due to terrorism; according to some the situation
is aggravating due to ethnic and sectarian problems; some of them think
that Karachi being hub of economic, social, political and cultural
activities is under fire because the enemies of Pakistan want to prove
that Pakistan is a failed State inspite of being a nuclear power.
Order of chief Justice says that recovery of large number of dead
bodies daily; the frequency of the street crime; and brutality and
heinousness of the offences; passivity of government functionaries;
gangs involved in money extortion; nefarious and bloody activities of
land mafia and drug mafia, damage to valuable properties of the
citizens; and shifting of capital from Pakistan to Malaysia and
Bangladesh (as reported in some clippings), transfer of dead bodies
from Karachi to the places of their origins in different parts of the
country causing stir and harassment in the minds of people of such
areas, provide substantial evidence that Karachi has reached the verge
of destruction causing threat to the very stability of Pakistan.
The people are praying to the HCJ to take Suo Moto Notice of this situation.
The people are praying to the HCJ to take Suo Moto Notice of this situation.
After going through the office note, the Chief Justice has been
pleased to pass the following order that “I have gone through above
noted facts, reported in the print/flashed in the electronic media,
perusal whereof presents a bleak/dismal picture of bloodshed, arson,
kidnapping/abduction for ransom, widespread violence, illegal
collection of money (Bhatta) from traders, which prima facie are
violative of Article 9, 14, 15, 18 and 24 of the Constitution. Prima
facie, the Executive has failed to protect the life, liberty, dignity,
property and freedom of the general public, as its manifested in the
above note/reports.
Therefore, let this note be converted into petition under Article
184(3) of the Constitution. Notice be issued to learned Attorney
General for Pakistan to appear and submit a comprehensive report about
the above incidents, which have been taking place in Karachi for the
last more than one month. The report should be based on the material to
substantiate the same, which should be collected from the Federal and
Provincial law enforcement and intelligence agencies.
The Chief Secretary and PPO of the Province of Sindh are directed
through Advocate General to submit details of the incidents in view of
the facts noted hereinabove in the office note. They should also
provide the number of persons who have been killed/injured in these
incidents for the last one month. They should also place on record
copies of the daily situation reports duly prepared by the concerned
police officers for the perusal of PPO and the Chief Secretary.
The FIR and other material be also filed in order to assess
violation of the fundamental rights of the citizens noted hereinabove.
Notices be also issued to President, Supreme Court Bar Association as
well as President, Sindh High Court Bar Association to appear and
assist the Court. SANA
