The Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan held a suo moto hearing on rape and murder case of Zainab on Tuesday, and the Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Mian Saqib Nisar expressed annoyance over lack of progress. Mian Saqib Nisar headed a three-member bench including Justice Umar Ata Bandial and Justice Ijaz ul Ahsan, and remarked that the whole nation is saddened due to this incident
ISLAMABAD,(Pakistan Point News - 16th Jan, 2018 ) : The Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan held a suo moto hearing on rape and murder case of Zainab on Tuesday, and the Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Mian Saqib Nisar expressed annoyance over lack of progress. Mian Saqib Nisar headed a three-member bench including Justice Umar Ata Bandial and Justice Ijaz ul Ahsan, and remarked that the whole nation is saddened due to this incident. The CJP commented that it is police’s duty to conduct effective investigations, but offenders are released owing to their poor efforts.
Additional IG Abu Bakr Khuda Baksh responded that interrogations are being conducted regarding the case. He said that no timeframe can be given to arrest the suspect, and told the court that a similar incident occurred with a girl name Kainat. The victim had survived but is unable to speak now, he added. Justice Saqib Nisar said the apex court does not want to pressurize the police, and wants to ensure that the real culprit is arrested.
This case is a challenge for the police, he said. He noted that a gap between the judiciary and the police must be bridged so that mistakes that have been made by the latter in such cases can be avoided. "The police does not take guidance from the court's decisions. The same mistakes are made in all such cases," he said. "We are trying to close the gap between the courts and the police. Why shouldn't there be communication between the courts and the police?" Chief Justice Nisar added.
The chief justice said that the court requires assurance that the culprit responsible for Zainab's death will be arrested. "I want the criminal to be captured, not killed in an encounter," the chief justice added. He said that if the matter is not resolved, it will be the failure of the police and the government. The AIG ensured the court that the responsible person will be nabbed soon. He opted the stance that a serial killer is behind all these rape and murder cases, and told that DNA samples of 400 suspects have been taken.
The chief justice told the AIG that the hearing could be moved into the chambers if he did not want to reveal aspects of the investigation in the courtroom. During the hearing, the apex court halted the proceedings of the Lahore High Court that had also taken up the Zainab case, saying the high court did not have the jurisdiction to hear suo motu cases. The apex bench adjourned the Zainab case until Sunday, summoning the entire investigation team probing the minor's death at the next hearing which will be conducted at the SC Lahore Registry.
