KARACHI, Jan 26: An indifferent response by the authorities to the first public hearing held at Circuit House II on Monday by an inquiry tribunal constituted to identify reasons and planners behind last year’s three-day deadly ethnic violence left retired Justice Ali Mohammad Baloch with no option but to adjourn the proceedings for almost a month.

Though no official reason was given for the four-week adjournment of the proceedings, which have already been delayed by almost a month, a visit to the proceeding’s venue, which is also known as the Old Balochistan House, suggested that the institutions concerned had not made any arrangement to begin the hearing and even government officials appointed to assist the tribunal had not yet reported to it.

The situation forced the tribunal to adjourn its proceedings till Feb 23, apparently to give the authorities time to make necessary arrangements and coordinate with all persons appointed to run the inquiry smoothly.

“Additional Advocate-General Sarwar Khan, who has been appointed to assist the tribunal, did not report and attend the first proceedings today for unknown reasons,” Mumtaz Rajpar, registrar for the tribunal, told reporters after the announcement of the adjournment.

SP Mahmood Alam, who is assigned to the tribunal as a liaison officer, could not reach the Circuit House II situated in Clifton. Neither were there a peon, a stenographer and a clerk appointed by the provincial home department to assist the tribunal in executing its job, which is supposed to be completed within four weeks.

Almost a month after the violence, the government set up the inquiry tribunal to investigate the three-day violence, from Nov 29 to Dec 1, which was suspected to be an attempt to spark ethnic riots across the city. Besides the 40 dead and 200 wounded people, 50 shops, an equal number of vehicles and 35 houses were set on fire.

However, the government initiative met with mismanagement on part of the authorities concerned, whose evidently non-serious attitude forced the tribunal to wrap up its first proceedings before it formally began. Situated in a ground-plus-one-storey bungalow, Circuit House II wears a haunted look with no necessary furniture, equipment and staff to run the tribunal’s proceedings.

By the time retired Justice Ali Mohammad Baloch announced adjournment of “the proceedings”, he and the tribunal’s registrar Mumtaz Rajpar were the only officials inside Circuit House II, who were appointed specifically for the judicial inquiry. No security arrangements were in place.

Dawn also learnt that the tribunal had not yet been given a computer and stationery, nor had the head of the tribunal been provided with security guards and transport. However, officials said they hoped arrangements would be in place when the tribunal resumed its proceedings next month.

“We have enlisted names of three persons as witnesses of the event in the first phase. They were injured in the violence and approached the tribunal for recording their statements,” said Mr Rajpar, the registrar of the tribunal. “Security arrangements have already been requested for and we hope to get them by Feb 23, when the tribunal starts proceedings.”

According to its terms of reference, he added, the tribunal would try to identify groups and elements responsible for instigating violence; assess the state of preparedness on part of law-enforcement agencies and the quality of response shown by them, and to suggest effective measures to prevent recurrence of such incidents in the future.