[🇵🇰] FIR registered as all 8 IHC judges receive threatening letters laced with ‘white powder’

[Old School]

Source : https://www.dawn.com/news/1825279/fir-registered-as-all-8-ihc-judges-receive-threatening-letters-laced-with-white-powder

Islamabad police on Tuesday filed a case on terror charges after all eight judges of the high court received threatening letters laced with a "white powder".

The first information report (FIR) was registered at the capital's Counter Terrorism Department police station on the complaint of duty clerk Qadeer Ahmed under Section 507 (criminal intimidation by an anonymous communication) of the Pakistan Penal Code and Section 7 (punishment for acts of terrorism) of the Anti-Terrorism Act.

In the FIR, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, Ahmed said he worked at the Islamabad High Court (IHC) and eight letters were received a day ago for each of the court's judges, including Chief Justice (CJ) Aamer Farooq. He said that the letters were dispatched today and received by the personal secretaries of the judges.

He said the sender was stated as a woman named Resham but there was no address mentioned. Qadeer said that shortly after, he was alerted that there was a "chemical powder" found in one of the letters. He added that the judges' staff were subsequently instructed to not open the remaining letters.

 

[Old School]

[H2]Jillani's recusal strengthens the argument that judiciary must address letter issue internally[/H2]
THERE has been a twist in the tale. After the Supreme Court last week deferred to the federal cabinet, asking it to deal with a disturbing letter six Islamabad High Court justices had addressed to the chief justice, observers had worried that a government-sponsored inquiry into intelligence operatives' alleged interference in judicial affairs would prove to be a non-starter.

Even as voices from within the legal community were still criticising the Supreme Court for neglecting its responsibility and ceding full control over the inquiry to the government, a respected former judge, retired chief justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani, was duly appointed to head the inquiry commission tasked with looking into the judges' letter.

By Monday, however — following an open statement from more than 300 lawyers, amidst whispers that the six IHC justices may be considering directly petitioning the Supreme Court, and a polite 'no, thank you' from Mr Jillani — the scheme seemed to have fallen apart.

Accepting demands that the letter be taken up by the Supreme Court under its jurisdiction defined in Article 184(3), Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa announced on Monday that his court had taken suo motu notice of the matter. A seven-member bench will take the case up for hearing tomorrow. Although some concerns regarding the size and composition of the bench have been raised by certain quarters, the development is a breakthrough for the legal community and is being seen as a positive step.

 

[Old School]

[H1]Pakistani judges say intelligence agency threatened them over Imran Khan[/H1]
High court members allege ISI put cameras in their bedrooms and tortured a relative to make them hear an appeal against ex-PM
Claims by senior Pakistani judges that the intelligence agencies put pressure on them in cases involving the former prime minister Imran Khan have reached the country's supreme court, following the publication of an unprecedented letter that has created a storm in Pakistan.

The letter from the six high court judges alleged the abduction of family members, torture, installation of cameras in their bedrooms and threats from the powerful Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI).


In one case the judges said they were forced to hear an appeal against Khan even after the majority of judges had decided it was not maintainable.

"Considerable pressure was brought to bear on the judges who had opined that the petition was not maintainable, by operatives of the ISI, through friends and relatives of these judges. Fearing for their security, they sought additional protection for their homes. One of the judges had to be admitted in a hospital due to high blood pressure caused by stress," the letter claimed.

It alleged the brother-in-law of one judge was abducted by "individuals who claimed to be operatives of the ISI" and "tortured into making false allegations".

Khan was removed from office in a confidence vote in April 2022, and has since faced arrest and charges of corruption, selling state gifts, leaking state secrets and was convicted in a multitude of cases with sentences ranging from 10 to 14 years' imprisonment. He was charged in more than 100 cases and has been in prison since August. Khan has denied all charges and claimed his treatment is politically motivated, accusing Pakistan's powerful military chief of harbouring a "personal grudge" against him. The military has denied his claims.

Pakistani judges say intelligence agency threatened them over Imran Khan

High court members allege ISI put cameras in their bedrooms and tortured a relative to make them hear an appeal against ex-PM

www.theguardian.com

 

[Old School]

[H2]CJP says attack on judiciary's independence won't be tolerated, hints at full court for suo motu case[/H2]
Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa on Wednesday asserted that "any attack" on the judiciary's independence would not be tolerated as he hinted at forming a full court to hear a suo motu case pertaining to allegations of interference in judicial affairs.

He made the remarks as the Supreme Court took up the case pertaining to allegations made by six Islamabad High Court (IHC) judges regarding interference by the country's security apparatus in judicial matters.

A seven-member bench — comprising CJP Isa and justices Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Yahya Afridi, Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Athar Minallah, Musarrat Hilali and Naeem Akhtar Afghan — presided over the hearing that was streamed live on the SC's website and its YouTube channel.

 

[Old School]

[H2]After IHC, LHC and SC judges also receive letters[/H2]
A day after all eight Islamabad High Court (IHC) judges received letters laced with a suspicious toxic chemical, four Supreme Court (SC) and as many Lahore High Court (LHC) judges on Wednesday also received letters.

According to the complaint registered, the letters received by the apex court judges were also powder-laced, like the ones sent to the IHC judges. However, a senior official refrained from commenting on the nature of the missives received by the LHC judges.

On Tuesday, letters were delivered to the IHC judges in white envelopes sealed with cello-tape. The names of the judges and the address of the IHC were written on the envelopes. Sources said the letters had carried a threatening sign and accused the judges of being responsible for problems faced by the people of Pakistan.

The staff of two judges had opened the envelopes and found a suspicious powder inside. The matter was reported to the IHC registrar who summoned the police staff deputed for security of the high court, after which a case was registered under Section 507 (criminal intimidation by an anonymous communication) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and Section 7 (punishment for acts of terrorism) of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA).

According to the first information report (FIR), the letters were received on April 1 and distributed on Tuesday by naib qasid Ikram Ullah. Eight letters addressed to IHC Chief Justice (CJ) Aamer Farooq and other judges were also delivered to their personal secretaries, it added.

The letters were issued with the incomplete address of the sender, the FIR said. The letters while giving reference to Tehreek-i-Namoos Pakistan criticised the justice system, it said, adding that a particular photo and English word "Bacillus Anthracis" were included in the letters for the threat.

The anthrax germ Bacillus Anthracis sickens and causes death by proliferating in the bloodstream, where it releases powerful toxins. Infection is usually treated by a long course of antibiotics.

 

[ghazi]

LHC's Justice Najafi becomes latest to receive 'suspicious' letter
Rana Bilal
April 5, 2024

Lahore High Court's (LHC) Justice Ali Baqar Najafi on Friday become the latest jurist to receive a "suspicious" letter, according to an official.

On Tuesday, it emerged letters were delivered to all eight Islamabad High Court (IHC) judges the day before in white envelopes sealed with cello-tape. The names of the judges and the address of the IHC were written on the envelopes. Sources said the letters had carried a threatening sign and accused the judges of being responsible for problems faced by the people of Pakistan.

The staff of two judges had opened the envelopes and found a suspicious powder inside. The matter was reported to the IHC registrar who summoned the police staff deputed for the security of the high court, after which a case was registered under section 507 (criminal intimidation by an anonymous communication) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and section 7 (punishment for acts of terrorism) of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA).

The letters were issued with the incomplete address of the sender, the FIR said. The letters while giving reference to Tehreek-i-Namoos Pakistan criticised the justice system, it said, adding that a particular photo and English word "Bacillus Anthracis" were included in the letters for the threat.

The next day, similar letters arrived in the Supreme Court and the LHC prompting the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) to register two cases in Islamabad and Lahore.

The letters in the top court were sent to Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, and Justice Aminuddin. They were received at the Receipt and Issue (R&I) Branch of the apex court from where they were forwarded to the staff of the judges.

The letters sent by an unknown group threatened the judges of the Supreme Court for "rescuing evil". Suspicious powder was found inside the envelopes and sent to the forensic lab.

An amount of the suspicious powder was taken from each envelope and was to be sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory Islamabad on Thursday for toxicological and chemical tests.

At the LHC, the judges who received the letters were Chief Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan, senior puisne judge Justice Shujaat Ali Khan, Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan, Justice Aalia Neelum, and Justice Abid Aziz Sheikh.

The personal staff of the judges found the letters in the daily mail received at the high court, an official told Dawn on condition of anonymity. He said the staff of all judges at the LHC was already alert in the wake of letters sent to the IHC judges.

Subsequently, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Thursday that the government would launch a probe into the matter "with a sense of responsibility".

The developments come more than a week after six IHC judges wrote a startling letter to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) members, regarding alleged interference by the country's security apparatus in judicial matters.

Today, Justice Najafi became the sixth LHC judge to receive a "suspicious" letter. According to Inspector Muhamad Anis of the Special Branch, the letter was received by Justice Najafi's secretary.

He added that of the five letters received by the secretary, "one was suspicious". The letter concerned was then handed over to the CTD, Anis confirmed.

However, he did not comment on whether the letter contained any toxic substance or threatening content.

As PM Shehbaz vowed to solve the mystery of "toxic letters" on Thursday, the CTD appeared to be in a bind in its efforts to trace those behind these letters.

Investigators in Islamabad have traced the letters sent to judges of the superior courts to the General Post Office in Rawalpindi, but due to the absence of CCTV cameras on the premises, the senders have yet to be identified.

After the letters were opened by the court staff, it was widely believed that the suspicious powder in the envelopes was 'anthrax', a harmful substance that causes an infection upon contact with skin.

However, forensic analysis has revealed that the letters sent to LHC judges did not contain anthrax, but rather "carbohydrates having arsenic traces". Initial investigations have revealed that the arsenic was not in its pure form.

"There were no traces of anthrax or any other toxic chemicals," sources told Dawn. They added the investigating agencies had also been instructed to trace the fingerprints on the envelopes to catch the attackers.

The Punjab Safe City Authority had also been instructed to trace the senders of the suspicious letters through its surveillance cameras installed across the provincial capital.

Task force formed
In response to the letters received by the LHC judges, the home department held a meeting in Lahore — attended by top police and forensic officials — to review the toxic substances found in the envelopes.

The meeting did not rule out the role of foreign agencies and decided to expand the canvas of the investigation. According to sources, the CTD constituted a task force headed by the DIG to trace the culprits and their motives behind sending these documents.

With regard to the protection of judges and their staff members, the home department and other line agencies have decided that the judges be provided scanning machines to scan before opening suspicious letters or envelopes. It was also decided that all LHC judges' staff members be offered training besides equipping them with gadgets to handle suspicious letters and articles in an informed manner.

SC, IHC letters traced to GPO Rawalpindi
As the investigation in Islamabad inched forward, the CTD team led by DIG Shahzad Nadeem Bukhari traced the letters sent to the SC and the IHC to the General Post Office in Rawalpindi.

Sources privy to the investigation told Dawn that following the delivery of these "toxic" letters to the judges of the apex court and the high courts, the investigation team had managed to establish that they were dispatched from the Rawalpindi GPO and the sender mailed all these letters through a post box.

Though the letterbox has been identified, the identity of the sender was still not known.

Sources said that the efforts were being made to trace the sender through CCTV footage and the authorities concerned had been asked to furnish the footage.

Sources said that it was difficult to ascertain who brought these letters to the post office since there were no cameras installed inside the crowded premises. According to sources, the investigation team has asked adjacent offices and buildings to share footage from their respective CCTV cameras.

When contacted, Islamabad Police Spokesperson Taqi Jawad told Dawn that the CTD was investigating the case. According to him, DIG Operations Syed Shehzad Nadeem Bukhari was personally supervising the investigation. He expressed hope that the investigation team would trace the senders soon.

Following the incident, the IHC administration took several precautionary measures and the administration has decided to return all letters without a proper sender's address.

The text in the letters to the top court threatened that the toxic substance in the envelopes was a warning for others to 'repent' or face the consequences. The phrase "Welocme [sic] to Bacilus anthracis [sic] !!!" was also written along with a photo of a human skull and bones.

 

[ghazi]

It sounds like the script of a typical spy movie. The baddie sends a letter laced with a suspicious powder, promptly dispatching the receiver to an early grave. However this week, such letters have become a talking point in the media discourse in Pakistan as judges find themselves on the receiving end of these missives.

Earlier this week, all eight judges of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) received letters laced with a suspicious powder. Sources said the letters, mailed through Pakistan Post, carried a threatening symbol and accused the judges of being responsible for problems faced by the people of Pakistan. According to the FIR, a white powder was discovered in the envelopes.

Some of the police officials who came into contact with the powder experienced some side effects, including irritation, sources told Dawn.

The next day, similar letters arrived in the Supreme Court and the Lahore High Court (LHC). Like those received by the IHC judges, those sent to the top court also contained a suspicious powder. The FIR described the substance as a "white powder like chemical". Meanwhile, police did not comment on whether the missives sent to the LHC judges contained any toxic chemical.

Today, it emerged that another LHC judge received a suspicious letter, although there was no comment on whether it contained any chemical substance or threats.