Specialised training starts at KP Judicial Academy

PESHAWAR: A three-day specialized training for excellence for anti-terrorism courts (ATCs) commenced at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Judicial Academy on Thursday.

Twenty-six participants including judges of ATCs, district and sessions judges, prosecutors, police officers, investigators and other stakeholders connected with the functioning of the ATCs are participants in the training.

Peshawar High Court (PHC) Chief Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim was the chief guest.Registrar of PHC Barrister Ikhtiar Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Judicial Academy Director General Jehanzeb Shinwari, Dean of Faculty Ziaur Rehman, and all the directors of the academy were present on the occasion.

The academy DG highlighted the concept, objectives and significance of the specialized training.He said ATCs and the Counter-Terrorism Department, with the assistance of the Prosecution, played a crucial role in combating terrorism.

“Nevertheless, the effectiveness of the system seems hindered by low rate of convictions and delayed trails. These issues stem from systemic deficiencies, including poor investigation and poor evidence collection, inadequate skills and resources, witness intimidation, judicial inefficiencies and prosecutorial challenges,” he explained.Jehanzeb Shinwari said: “These factors seem to be contributing to the low rate of convections. Ultimately, these challenges undermine public confidence in the criminal justice system and hinder the counter-terrorism efforts.”

The academy DG said the academy had designed this comprehensive training programme with to enhance the participants’ understanding of terrorism laws, develop their expertise in handling complex pieces of evidence, conduct fair and effective trials, foster collaboration and knowledge-sharing amongst the stakeholders, and promote uniformity in the application of terrorism laws, which would ultimately strengthen the province’s counter-terrorism efforts.

Chief Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim spoke about the history and the need for establishing the ATCs in 1997. As chief justice, he assured his commitment to strengthening the courts in terms of capacity building and resources. He praised the academy for arranging and conducting the activity.

He encouraged the participants to actively participate in the training to effectively deal with the emerging challenges of deeply organized enterprises of terrorism.Highlighting the peculiar circumstances of cases of terrorism, the chief justice placed great emphasis on the significance of the accurate collection of circumstantial evidence by the investigating officers and required an appreciation of circumstantial pieces of evidence by the ATCs.