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| India-Pakistan |
| Suspects in 471 terror cases acquitted in Punjab |
| 2010-04-23 |
| LAHORE: As many as 629 terrorism cases were decided by anti-terrorism courts in 2009, of which suspects in 471 cases were acquitted, sources in the Punjab Public Prosecution Department and Punjab Police told Daily Times on Thursday. Taking stock of the situation, CJP Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry has nominated Supreme Court Justice Shakirullah Jan as an administrative judge for all anti-terrorism courts (ATC) and Lahore High Court Judge Ijaz Chaudhry to monitor ATCs and examine exonerations in Punjab. On April 24, a meeting presided over by Justice Shakirullah Jan would be held at the Supreme Court Registry in Lahore to examine the overall performance of ATCs, acquittals in terrorism cases, pending cases and the standard of investigation and prosecution. As a follow up, Punjab Public Prosecution Department officials and the inspector general of Punjab police would meet today (Friday) to examine the current status of terrorism cases registered between January 1, 2005, and February 15, 2010, and some other pending cases registered before this period, sources in the IGP office told Daily Times. Punjab Prosecutor General Syed Zahid Hussain Bokhari told Daily Times that special attention was paid to terrorism cases, which could spike the ratio of convictions in these cases. Punjab Police DIG (Crimes) Ayub Qureshi said the chief justice was focussing on terrorism cases. He said the Punjab IG had directed all regional police officers, city police officers and district police officers to improve the standard of investigation in terrorism cases, include concrete and solid evidence in case files and arrest proclaimed offenders as soon as possible. |
| Posted by:Steve White |