Daily Times

RAWALPINDI: Public prosecutors pursuing terrorism, civil, criminal and heinous crimes-related cases to seek justice for others are in pursuit of justice for themselves. They have been deprived of fundamental rights and basic necessities of life, owing to the apathy of government.

The hefty grant received at national and international levels under “Access to Justice Programme” (ATJP) is said to have been spent on such projects which are on papers only. This way the dream for formation of Independent Prosecution Agency (IPA) could not be realised. This state of affairs has rendered ATJP questionable.

The system for pursuing civil and criminal cases was kept under the law department before 2001 and the deputy district attorney, along with the assistant district attorney appeared in all the cases on behalf of the government.

During his stint as Chief Minister (CM) Punjab, Chaudhry Pervez Elahi, separated the prosecution department and placed it under the control of secretary prosecution.

Under ATJP, the prosecution system from registration of cases to the court’s decisions was to be improved on a technical basis on one side and on the other side handsome salaries and perks, separate offices, homes, transport and other modern facilities were to be provided to the district prosecutor and all prosecutors working in the prosecution branch in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Shortage of prosecutors and lack of a proper place for the offices of prosecutors and their staff members became a stumbling block on the way to ATJP and a headache for those serving in the prosecution branch.

The requisite strength of public prosecutors for contesting hundreds of the cases pending hearing in over 50 civil and criminal courts is also not available. Both the departments of prosecution under the district prosecutor and the district attorney are located in a two-storey squalid and dilapidated building
located in the district
prosecution branch of the district courts.

The six-room office does not cater to the needs of a large staff comprising 25 deputy and assistant prosecutors, 41 clerks and 34 naib qasids in terms of sitting arrangements and preservation of record. No locker or almirahs have been provided for maintaining the record nor furniture or drinking water facility is available to the staff.

The plight of a five-room building allocated for 20 members staff of the district attorney office including two deputy district attorney and two assistant attorneys is not different from the prosecution branch.

No system of security or deployment of a watchman has been made for the safety of record in
the prosecutor and attorney branch.

According to prosecution sources, residential facilities are available for the district police and administration heads but no such facility has been provided to the district head of the prosecution branch and the district attorney branch.