Islamabad/Lahore (Web Desk): After the Islamabad High Court (IHC) judges, four judges of the Supreme Court (SC), including Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, and four judges of the Lahore High Court (LHC) also received ‘threatening letters’, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Operations Shahzad Bukhari confirmed on Wednesday.
According to reports, the judges who received such posts on April 1 include CJP Faez Isa, Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, and Justice Aminuddin Khan.
Apprising the IHC CJ Justice Aamer Farooq, the DIG Operation said that four SC judges have also received such letters.
During the hearing of cipher case today, the police officer was summoned to the rostrum by the IHC’s top jurist.
Justice Aamer questioned about the yesterday’s (Tuesday) event of letters to the judges which suspectedly contain anthrax powder.
The police officer told the court that all envelopes containing letters and powdery substance have been sent for analysis to the lab.
When the court inquired regarding the origin of the letters, the police official said "the stamp is not discernible".
The court then asked if all the letters were posted from the same postal office.
A Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) officer also apprised the court that the letter was sent from General Post Office (GPO) Rawalpindi as per initial investigation and the letters had reached GPO through a letter box.
Moreover, the police department also wrote to the post master general to question why they cannot read a stamp properly, he added.
The police officer also confirmed that the Lahore High Court (LHC) judges have also received such letters today.
Meanwhile, LHC Registrar Office on Wednesday said that four of its judges including Justice Shujaat Ali Khan, Justice Shahid Bilal Hasan, Justice Alia Neelum and Justice Abid Aziz received threatening letters.
After the development, the CTD officials reached the LHC where security had been tightened.
A forensic team also reached the court to examine the suspicious letters. The CCTV cameras placed around the high court were also checked.
On April 2, eight judges, including IHC CJ Aamer Farooq received letters containing an unknown powder, suspected to be laced with anthrax.
The threatening letters to the judges come after the SC took suo motu on the letter written by six IHC judges alleging intelligence agencies' ‘meddling in judicial affairs’.
A seven-member SC bench, led by CJP Qazi Faez Isa and comprising Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Yahya Afridi, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhel, Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Musarrat Hilali and Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan, is hearing the case.
After today’s proceedings, the top court adjourned the hearing till April 29.
