|
Lax security: Prosecutor's murder
[Dawn] HE received 17 bullets where only one or two would have sufficed. But the bad boys, calling themselves the Mujahideen-e-Islami, who killed Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ali succeeded in conveying their message loud and clear -- they can strike at will, wherever and whenever they wished, irrespective of consequences and 'collateral damage' -- in this case a pedestrian. The FIA's prosecutor general was investigating many high-profile cases, including Benazir Bhutto... 11th Prime Minister of Pakistain in two non-consecutive terms from 1988 until 1990 and 1993 until 1996. She was the daughter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, founder of the Pakistain People's Party, who was murdered at the instigation of General Ayub Khan. She was murdered in her turn by person or persons unknown while campaigning in late 2007. Suspects include, to note just a few, Baitullah Mehsud, General Pervez Musharraf, the ISI, al-Qaeda in Pakistain, and her husband, Asif Ali Zardari, who shows remarkably little curiosity about who done her in... 's liquidation and the Mumbai case, and had gathered valuable information. He had been receiving threats possibly because of his efficiency that had led to the conviction of many bully boyz and ordinary criminals. On Friday, he was scheduled to submit a charge-sheet against  Pervez PervMusharraf ... former dictator of Pakistain, who was less dictatorial and corrupt than any Pak civilian government to date ... in the Benazir case and was on the way to FIA headquarters when gunnies, whose exact number has not been determined, shot up his car while it was negotiating a U-turn. This paper has been repeatedly emphasising the need for providing adequate protection to prosecutors, witnesses and judges because they receive threats and often fall victim to violence perpetrated by bully boyz and criminal gangs. In Chaudhry Zulfiqar's case, the liquidation took place at a stone's throw from the FIA building. This shows both the daredevilry of the bully boyz and the inadequacy of the protection provided to a senior FIA official. The world over prosecutors, witnesses and judges operate in an atmosphere of peace. Where the law and order situation is precarious, the state makes special efforts to give security to all. In many South American countries with a high crime rate, governments have drawn up comprehensive plans to give a sense of security to judges and prosecutors. In Pakistain, however, because of the absence of such measures, the rate of conviction is extremely low, perhaps 5pc. While witnesses are sometimes bribed, quite often they change their story because of threats from bully boyz and criminals. It is true that the law enforcement apparatus has been overstretched, especially now when the country is in the midst of an election. But the state must revisit and overhaul the security cases involving hardened criminals and motivated bully boyz who have no qualms about shedding blood. The FIA official's killing also shows the failure of the intelligence system. The bully boyz are way ahead of the state, for they knew Chaudhry Zulfiqar's routine and took precise aim when the car had slowed down to make a U-turn. Can the state be as thorough in its ways? Do the plethora of intelligence agencies we have know who these 'Mujahideen-e-Islami' are? Posted by: Fred 2013-05-06 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=367594 |