KARACHI – Seven out of the total 11 anti-terrorism courts (ATCs) in Sindh will be without judges by the end of this month, as contracts of two more ATC judges will expire on March 28.
Sources told Pakistan Today that the contracts of Badin ATC judge Saleem Patoli and Khairpur Mir’s Sajjad Hussain Kolachi will finish before the end of this month, leaving the province – with its capital witnessing a spike in terror incidents – with only four functional courts to handle terrorism-related cases.
It is worth mentioning that three ATCs in Karachi are already without judges since January 20, while one each in Hyderabad and Jacobabad are also without judges. Despite the Sindh High Court chief justice sending a summary for appointment of judges to the Sindh government, the provincial authorities relevant to the matter are hesitant in appointing new ATC judges.
On March 1, the SHC chief justice had sent a summary to the Sindh chief minister, recommending four session judges for appointment as ATC judges. However, the provincial government – which has appointed 29 public prosecutors, special prosecutors and additional prosecutors to handle its cases – has not responded to the call for appointment of judges in these courts.
Around 1,029 high-profile cases related to terrorist activities including bomb explosions, targeted killings and other incidents are pending before these courts. The Sindh Home Department’s criteria for ATC judge are that the candidate must be lawyer with an experience of 10 years in high court practice; or a retired or serving judge.
The anti-terrorism courts were established under the Nawaz Sharif government in 1997 to deal with terrorism cases in Pakistan. A short time before being ousted by Pervez Musharraf’s coup, Sharif enacted the 25 August 1999 Pakistan Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Ordinance which generalised the ATC system to all of the country.
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