Pakistan: Islamabad court attack: 'Muddy waters'

The Supreme Court, with good reason, appears to believe that the loose lips of politicians may sink the investigation into the Islamabad court attack. Initially it was believed that an unknown militant group had carried out a suicide attack but Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan muddied the waters by raising the possibility that judge Rafaqat Awan may have been shot dead by his guard, a claim that till now has not been verified and for which no factual evidence has been presented. The Supreme Court has now rejected the reports on the attack presented by the IG and the chief commissioner, after the reader of the murdered judge, Khalid Noon, told the court that he had seen an attacker enter the judge’s chambers and kill him but was being pressurised by the police not to include that information in his statement. In his report the IG claimed that there were two attackers, while the chief commissioner believes there were more assailants. The Supreme Court has not yet ruled out the possibility that the attackers had inside help.

That the police are still so clueless about the attack more than a week after it took place is a stark reminder of how unprepared our law enforcement agencies are for dealing with militant attacks. We often express anger at the number of suspected militants who are able to walk free and the incompetence of the police shows just how they manage that. The failure of law-enforcement agencies is complete, starting from their inability to gather intelligence that might thwart such attacks, continuing with the insufficient security measures at sensitive locations and ending with botched investigations. The only information we have on the attack is from the Ahrar-ul-Hind, a new organisation that claimed credit for it. Had they not released their statement we would be completely clueless about each and every aspect of the attack, including the identity and affiliation of the perpetrators. This failure has very real consequences for the administration of justice in the country, with Pervez Musharraf securing yet another delay in his treason case by pointing out security threats. The sad fact is that the police performance after the attack means that everyone who has business in the courts will feel justifiably insecure, especially after the prospect of an inside job has been raised. The Supreme Court now faces the unenviable task of ensuring the police do their job and finally lays this matter to rest.