Poor law & order situation: IHC gives PM's advisor three weeks to submit report

ISLAMABAD: Islamabad High Court (IHC) Monday gave Shahzad Akbar, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Interior, three weeks time to submit a detailed report about increase in crime and law and order situation in the Capital. A single bench of Chief Justice Athar Minallah issued these directions, while hearing a case related to the poor law and order situation in Islamabad.

The court also directed Akbar to prepare a report on the poor standard of the city police's investigation process, and deteriorating law and order situation and present the same to the prime minister. Shahzad Akbar, Chief Commissioner, Inspector General (IG) of Police Islamabad and other concerned officials were also present in the court during the hearing.

Justice Minallah observed that the state's writ was nowhere in the city. He asked from Akbar that whether he had any knowledge of why he had been summoned to the court. He said that Islamabad should have been a model city under the federal government but it did not even have a branch of the prosecution here.

He added that even the investigation officers were not experts in their field and the standard of police investigation was extremely poor. The IHC chief justice said to Akbar that despite a court ruling, there was no prosecution branch in Islamabad.

He asked the advisor to visit Islamabad's district courts and see how courts were working and no one had paid any attention towards it. He stated that the courts were inside the shops and only the elite class was being served in Islamabad.

Justice Minallah remarked that the courts announced verdicts on the basis of police investigation, and the standard of police investigation in the federal capital was extremely poor. He added that many suspects were acquitted due to poor investigation by the police and the courts were deemed responsible.

The IHC bench directed Akbar to prepare a report based on his expertise and draw prime minister's attention towards the sufferings of common people being deprived of their basic rights. Then Akbar told the court that the matter of missing persons had been brought to the cabinet's notice and a sub-committee had been formed, while the recommendations would be sent to the cabinet.

He also informed the court that the prime minister took immediate notice as soon as the case of a missing person was brought to his attention. Justice Minallah said that constitution of committees would not be fruitful until elite culture was brought to an end.

Then he directed Akbar to prepare the report about the law and order situation in Islamabad, and deferred hearing in the matter till October 19th.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020