ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Monday ordered an inquiry committee to continue its probe into a gun and suicide bomb attack on a court complex in Islamabad which killed 11 people.
A three-judge bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani, was hearing the suo motu case. The chief Justice had taken suo motu notice of Monday's attack, the deadliest to hit the heavily-guarded capital in more than five years.
An inquiry committee formed by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) last week and headed by Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui, had halted its work after the Supreme Court took sou motu notice of the incident.
The Supreme Court directed the committee today to continue its probe and submit its report to the apex court.
Meanwhile, the SC expressed its disappointment over a report submitted by the Inspector-General of Islamabad police during the hearing.
The SC objected that the IG’s report did not give any clue regarding the court’s security plan nor did it explain whether the policemen pursued the attackers or made any effort to stop them from escaping.
The chief justice was also astonished at the conflicting numbers of attackers being reported by different witnesses.
The chief justice said that according to the IGP’s report, two gunmen attacked the court premises. However, he said that the number of attackers reported by lawyers was greater than eight.
The IG replied that further evidence was still being collected.
The court ordered the IG Islamabad to submit a revised report within two days.
The hearing was subsequently adjourned to March 17.
On March 3, 11 people including additional sessions judge Rafaqat Awan, were killed and 29 others wounded during a gun and bomb attack in a court in the capital city’s F-8 area.
Asad Mansoor, a spokesperson for the Ahrarul Hind which is a lesser-known splinter group of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), claimed responsibility for the court attack.
The group had recently parted ways with the TTP over holding of talks with the government.