Five more SC judges receive ‘suspicious letters’

A day after the judges of the Supreme Court received letters allegedly laced with a toxic substance, five more judges of the apex court received “suspicious letters” on Friday, ARY News reported citing sources.

The recent letters in the top court were sent to Justice Muneeb Akhtar, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Hassan Azhar Rizvi, Justice Yahya Afridi and Justice Ayesha Malik.

Like the letters received a day earlier by the SC judges including CJP Qazi Faez Isa, suspicious powder was also found inside the envelopes.  Overall 10 apex court judges had received letters.

Earlier this week, the eight judges, including the Chief Justice of the IHC, have reportedly received suspicious letters containing ‘anthrax’.

According to court sources, one of the letters was opened by a judge’s staff and was found to contain an unidentified powder.

Upon discovery of the suspicious substance, a team of experts from the Islamabad Police reached the premises of the Islamabad High Court to analyze the situation.

CTD registers case

The Punjab police’s Counter Terrorism Department in Lahore lodged an FIR under the anti-terrorism act and other charges against unknown suspects for sending threatening letters to the Lahore High Court’s judges.

The FIR was registered on the complaint R&I branch In-charge at the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD). The case was registered under Sections 7 and 507 of the Anti-Terrorism Act.

The FIR read that ‘ordinary’ letters were received by the secretaries of the chief justice and other three judges of the apex court. “The four letters were written to CJ Qazi Faez Isa and other three SC judges,” it added.

The FIR read that Admin In-charge Khurram Shahzad informed on the phone that the letters contained white powder inside the envelopes.

Read More: CJP Qazi Faez Isa, three SC judges also receive ‘suspicious letters’

PM orders probe

Earlier on Thursday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had said the federal government will investigate the issue of ‘suspicious letters’ received by judges.

Chairing a federal cabinet meeting in Islamabad today, he said this matter will be taken up with a sense of responsibility. He emphasized there should be no politics on this matter.

PM Shehbaz Sharif recalled that an inquiry commission was formed after the consent and consultation of former chief justice of Pakistan Justice (retired) Tassaduq Hussain Jillani to look into the issues raised by the six judges of Islamabad High Court.

He said the former chief justice however late recused himself from heading the inquiry commission. He said the Supreme Court has now taken suo motu notice of this matter.