ISLAMABAD: In a bizarre turn of events, eight judges of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) including Chief Justice Aamer Farooq, Tuesday, received suspicious anthrax-laced letters raising security alarms within the judicial community.
During the hearing of the cipher case, the IHC chief justice also confirmed about anthrax-laced letters, saying that all judges received the letters, which were sent by a woman.
The eight letters containing suspicious powder and threats in writing delivered to judges of the IHC included the six judges who complained Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) about the interference of agencies under the executive.
After receiving the letter, the high court administration ordered to file an FIR of the incident under the provisions of terrorism.
According to judicial sources, when the staff of two judges opened the letters, they discovered a mysterious powder inside the letters. The nature of the powder remains unknown, prompting immediate intervention from law enforcement authorities.
A team of experts from the Islamabad Police immediately reached the IHC to investigate the matter further and examined the contents of the letters and determined the nature of the powder.
The sources said that the letters also contained a threatening sign. The letters were allegedly signed by a woman named Resham, wife of Waqar Hussain.
Soon after the incident, the IHC administration summoned the inspector general of Islamabad police and the deputy inspector general (DIG) of security to address the security breach.
The federal police have initiated a thorough investigation into the matter to ascertain the origins of the letters and identify any potential threats to the safety of the judges. It said that forensic experts are examining the suspicious powder to analyse it and provide insights into its composition.
The sources said that when the court staff opened the letter, they found a powder inside it and their eyes started burning. The affected official immediately used a sanitizer and washed his hands, the source added.
This development occurred in the wake of a letter written by six judges of the IHC to the SJC, alleging interference in judiciary matters, sparking controversy. Justices Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, Justice Babar Sattar, Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan, Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir, and Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz had signed the letter, which was dated March 25.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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