By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD – Islamabad police have launched a terror investigation after all eight judges of the high court received threatening letters containing a mysterious white powder, officials reported on Tuesday.
The first information report (FIR), filed at the Counter Terrorism Department by duty clerk Qadeer Ahmed, cited criminal intimidation and acts of terrorism. The letters, addressed to each judge including Chief Justice Aamer Farooq, were discovered by their secretaries.
The sender, identified only as Resham, did not provide an address. The discovery of a chemical powder in one of the letters prompted a directive for staff to avoid opening the remaining correspondence.
Counter-terrorism official Ahmed said eight letters, each addressed to a judge including Chief Justice Aamer Farooq, arrived a day prior. “One of the letters contained a suspicious chemical powder and following this alarming discovery, instructions were swiftly issued to the judges’ staff not to open the remaining letters,” Ahmad said.
Four of the letters had been opened by the time police secured the remaining four, all of which contained the white powder.
The initial analysis is underway, with the content of the opened letters referencing Tehreek Namoos-i-Pakistan, criticizing the judicial system, and mentioning “Bacilus Anthracis,” a term associated with the anthrax germ.
The anthrax bacterium poses a grave threat to human health, causing sickness and even death by releasing potent toxins into the bloodstream. Treatment typically involves a prolonged course of antibiotics.
The incident has caused a delay in court proceedings, including the appeal hearing of former prime minister Imran Khan.
Chief Justice Farooq acknowledged the threat to the high court during the session.
This incident follows recent concerns over judicial independence, with six IHC judges alerting the Supreme Judicial Council to pressure tactics, including abduction and surveillance.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa have agreed to form a commission to investigate these allegations, with the federal cabinet sanctioning an inquiry commission led by former CJP Tassaduq Hussain Jillani.
In response to mounting concerns, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa convened a full court meeting of apex court judges to address the issue. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also met with CJP Isa, leading to the formation of an inquiry commission headed by ex-CJP Tassaduq Hussain Jillani.
However, Jillani declined to be part of the one-man commission, prompting the apex court to establish a seven-member bench to probe the allegations of executive interference in judicial affairs.
This latest incident echoes a similar episode in September last year when a bag containing grenades, a pistol, and a threatening letter addressed to judges and generals was discovered in Islamabad. The ominous message, attributed to Tehreek Tahaffuz Namoos-i-Pakistan.
Lawyers and civil society members have called for the Supreme Court’s intervention under Article 184(3) of the Constitution, emphasizing the public significance of the issue.
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