By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani authorities are intensifying their investigation into a series of ‘toxic letters’ sent to judges, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif personally overseeing the efforts to unravel the mystery.
More than a dozen senior judges have received letters containing a suspicious white powder since Tuesday. All eight judges of the Islamabad High Court received similar mails, with a note in English criticising the “justice system of Pakistan” and even mentioning the term, bacillus anthracis.
Bacillus anthracis is a bacteria that can cause anthrax, a serious infection that can be fatal if immediate treatment is not given.
The next day, four Supreme Court judges, including Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa, and five judges of the Lahore High Court also received similar letters with the suspected “toxic” material.
Police said a lesser-known group called Tehreek-e-Namoos Pakistan has claimed responsibility for the suspicious letters.
The incident targeted the country’s superior and higher judiciary just as the country’s top court started looking into a case related to the alleged meddling of Pakistan’s spy agencies in judicial matters.
The case was initiated after six Islamabad High Court judges complained last week the country’s intelligence agencies had been using intimidation and coercive tactics to influence judicial verdicts.
Police said the letters initially feared to contain anthrax, were found to hold a non-lethal substance, albeit with traces of arsenic. “Forensic teams have debunked the anthrax scare, revealing instead the presence of carbohydrates laced with arsenic, albeit not in its purest form,” a police official said.
The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), leading the probe, has also traced the origins of the letters to Rawalpindi’s General Post Office.
However, the lack of CCTV coverage has stymied efforts to identify the senders. The CTD officials are making efforts to gather video evidence from neighboring buildings.
In a cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif assured that the government is tackling the investigation with utmost responsibility.
“The letters sent to various judges in which suspicious powder was reportedly found, I think we should observe patience and not let any politics come in this,” Sharif told the cabinet. “The government is investigating the matter with the sense of responsibility to uncover the reality.”
The Lahore High Court, one of the primary recipients of the letters, has convened an emergency session with top police and forensic experts to deliberate on the findings and bolster security protocols for judicial staff.
Measures include the provision of scanning machines and specialized training to handle potentially hazardous correspondence.
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