The prominent lawyers on Thursday termed the Supreme Court (SC) judgment in suo motu case pertaining to deteriorating law and order situation in the country, as best under the given circumstances.
Senior lawyer Nafees A Siddiqui said that “under the given circumstances it is the best judgment”, adding that the SC issued its verdict within the parameters defined by the constitution. He believed that through the judgment, the SC had put all the responsibility on the present government and given it another chance to maintain law and order in the country.
Ahmer Bilal Soofi said that the SC judgment was encouraging, adding that “The SC has also exposed the criminal elements in the political ranks”. He advised the political parties to distance themselves from the practices that bring bad name to democracy and could lead to their disqualification. He said that the SC had also described mechanism for fair prosecution of the criminals.
Habibul Wahab Elkhairi also termed the judgment as best under the prevailing circumstances, adding that it would have a good impact on the situation of law and order in Karachi. He said that the SC could not be harsh in its judgment as it had to act within the constitutional limits. He asked the government to send reference against the ‘criminal political parties’ to the SC so that it could initiate action against them.
Another senior lawyer Hashmat Ali Habib termed the SC judgment as “Islamabad Declaration” and termed the decision as “Academic decision”. “The SC has identified groups of criminals… between the lines, it has also told the nation that Sindh and federal governments have failed in maintaining law and order in the country”, he added. He said further that terror of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) among the people would decline as a result of the court’s decision.
Orders, not directions were needed from SC, say lawyers
LAHORE: A majority of lawyers, civil society members and human rights activists showed disappointment over the Supreme Court (SC) judgement on the targetted killings in Karachi saying people expected a “concrete order” not “mere directions” from the SC against targetted killers, extortionists and land grabbers. Speaking to Pakistan Today¸ former law minister and human right activist Iqbal Haider advocate said, “I am amazed the SC gave a weak judgment which no one expected since evidence was available against those involved.” No bold step: He said the judgment is nothing more than instructions and the SC ignored all evidence against the targetted killers produced before it by intelligence agencies and IG Police Sindh. He said the governments failure to ‘control the situation’ was known and the court’s job was to ban parties and groups or punish those killers against whom a record was produced in the court.
It could dissolve government: Judicial Activism Penal Chairman Muhammad Azhar Siddique said the judgments’ suggestions shall work as a warning for the government in the coming days or months and if the situation did not improve the judgment would cause the governement’s dissolution. Ex-SCBA secretary Zulfiqar Bokarci demanded the federal government ban political parties involved in heinous crimes like extortion, kidnapping and killings in Karachi or resign immediately after the SC observation that the government had failed to establish its writ in Karachi to control targeted killers. He said the government was responsible to make police reform in Karachi on the SC’s direction. STAFF REPORT