Suo motu scuppered country’s boat, Sanaullah on delay in May 9 trials

ISLAMABAD: Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political and Public Affairs Rana Sanaullah has said that the authority of superior courts taking suo motu notices has worsened matters in the country, as he lamented the delay in trials of May 9 accused.

Sanaullah, a senior leader of PMLN, said that the “judicial system of the country and Constitution of Pakistan were responsible” for the failure to serve justice. “It was just a simple procedure that should have been adopted that the people [linked to May 9 protests] should have undergone summary trial and conviction within 30-90 days,” he said while speaking in the Geo News programme Capital Talk on Thursday. He referred to the former government and the army’s decision to try the May 9 accused in military courts and failure in holding military trials owing to stay and challenging petitions that kept the matter from achieving finality. “This suo motu has scuppered the country’s boat,” he said.

When asked if the inquiry report prepared by the former caretaker prime minister Anwarul Haq Kakar’s government had any solid evidence against the May 9 perpetrators, Sanaullah said that he didn’t value the document to this level. “However, the evidence for May 9 incidents is so clear that there isn’t any doubt about it,” he added. The former security czar said the reason cases were also facing delays in anti-terrorism courts was that the “judiciary is free and there is no interference from any executive”.

Responding to a question regarding the Islamabad High Court judges’ claims about being pressurised by “agencies”, the former federal minister said that lawyers associations and bars also put pressure. “A judge should be strong and upright,” he said, adding that no one could pressurise those “who are such personalities”.

Sanaullah further said that three more years would pass “if a judicial commission is formed to probe the May 9 events”. He also called for reforms in the justice system.