SC directs payment of Diyat to Lal Masjid deceased heirs
By Adnan Rafique

ISLAMABAD—Supreme Court has directed Federal Government to make payment of compensation equal to one Diyat for one death to the legal heirs of all the innocent deceased in Lal Masjid
The two member bench of Supreme Court comprising of Hon’ble Judges Mr. Justice Muhammad Nawaz Abbasi and Mr. Justice M. Javed Buttar in its order in C.M.As NO. 2134, 2148 AND 2165 OF 2007 IN SUO MOTU CASE NO. 9 OF
2007 dated 2-10-2007, has directed that the Federal Government shall make the payment of compensation to the legal heirs of all the innocent deceased who have been killed in the incident and process for payment of compensation shall be completed under the control and supervision of Sessions Judge, Islamabad, within two months.
The Court directed that “The police shall verify the antecedents of all those who have been innocently killed in the incident and will record the statements of their legal heirs to determine their entitlement for the payment of compensation in the form of Diyat and subject to the law and necessary verification of the genuineness of the legal heirs in each case by the Sessions Judge, Islamabad, the Federal Government shall make the payment of compensation equal to one Diyat for one death to the legal heirs of all such deceased and may settle the matter with them in accordance with law through the intervention of learned Sessions Judge, Islamabad. The Court directed the Police authorities to proceed further in accordance with law and submit a comprehensive report before next date of hearing.
CDA submitted a report, before the Hon’ble Court containing the proposal for constitution of building as under: - 250.56 Sqy of land already allotted to girls Madrassa will be used for the same purpose. A Madrassa building for day scholars’ girls will be constructed by the CDA. The use of remaining area encroached by the Madrassa has not yet been finalized. However, the land is likely to be utilized for construction of buildings related to research/education and other similar fields.
The Hon’ble Bench directed that “in the light of proposal of CDA we are of the view that in addition to the building of Madrassa and Research Center, the CDA may also consider the construction of hostel with Madrassa as without hostel no students out of Islamabad and Rawalpindi will be benefited. The total land referred therein which was in the use of Jamia Hafsa subject to all just exceptions, may be treated as part of the institution and Research Center for religious education and efforts should be made to complete the construction of the building of Madrassa and Research Center within a year”.
The Bench further directed that, “In view of the fact that the poor students are suffering due to the fault of others and they were not at all responsible for the sad incident, we in the interest of their educational carrier deem it proper to direct that subject to all just exceptions, the government shall provide a suitable place to accommodate and adjust the female students of Jamia Hafsa who have been dislocated due to the sad incident and their studies have been discontinued to enable these students to continue their studies.