In a concerning turn of events, it has been revealed that a day after threatening letters containing a suspicious powdery toxic substance were sent to eight judges of the Islamabad High Court, similar correspondence was received by Supreme Court jurists, including Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa, as well as judges of the Lahore High Court.
The disclosure was made by Islamabad DIG (Operations) Shahzad Bukhari during a hearing of the cipher case before IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq. According to the DIG (Operations), four SC judges, including CJP Isa, received similar letters on April 1, while SC’s Justices Mansoor Ali Shah and Shahid Waheed received letters posted by someone identifying themselves as Gulshad Khatun.
All envelopes contained both letters and a powdery substance, which has been sent to the laboratory for analysis. Copies of the letters, suspected to contain anthrax powder, have also been submitted to the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) for further investigation.
The police department has initiated communication with the relevant postmaster general regarding the issue of unclear stamps on the envelopes. Preliminary investigations suggest that the letters to the LHC judges were dispatched from the General Post Office (GPO) Rawalpindi and dropped into a letterbox.
Expressing dissatisfaction, IHC Chief Justice Farooq reprimanded the police officers for their failure to properly identify the postal stamps. A case has been registered at the CTD police station under relevant sections of the law.
In a related development, LHC judges, including Chief Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan, also received threatening letters, prompting heightened security measures at the court premises. A search operation was initiated, and a courier company employee was detained for further investigation.
The letters, dispatched from Islamabad, were allegedly sent by an individual named Mohad Fazil, who purportedly threatened judicial officers, military personnel, and politicians. An investigation is underway to gather evidence and determine the nature of the powdery substance found in the letters received by the judges.
These distressing incidents come amidst heightened tensions following allegations of interference by intelligence agencies, as raised by six IHC judges in an open letter to the Supreme Court. A police team, including experts, has been mobilized to thoroughly investigate the matter and ensure the safety and security of the judiciary.
