Judges in Pakistan receive 'Anthrax' threat letters after SC orders probe on ISI interference in judiciary
Pakistani judges, including those from the Islamabad High Court, Lahore High Court, and the Supreme Court, received threatening letters containing a powdery substance and intimidating messages. The letters accused the judges of contributing to Pakistan's issues and referenced "Bacillus Anthracis," the bacterium causing anthrax.
Police in Pakistan have revealed that threatening letters, containing a powdery substance and ominous messages, were received by several judges across the country, escalating security concerns within the judiciary. The incident follows a similar occurrence where letters were delivered to all judges of the Islamabad High Court the previous day.
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According to the First Information Report (FIR), the recipients included four judges from the Lahore High Court and five from the Supreme Court, including Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa. The letters, bearing a particular photo and the term "Bacillus Anthracis" in English, were perceived as an attempt to intimidate the judiciary. Bacillus anthracis is the bacterium responsible for anthrax.
Reportedly, the letters accused the judges of contributing to the challenges faced by the people of Pakistan. Delivered in white envelopes with incomplete sender addresses, the letters raised alarm when staff members of two Islamabad High Court judges discovered a suspicious powder upon opening the envelopes on Tuesday.Â
Media sources indicated that some officials experienced severe eye irritation and burns around their lips after handling the letters.
Deputy Police Chief of Lahore, Ali Nasir Rizvi, confirmed that the letters were promptly handed over to the counter-terrorism department for investigation, while security measures were intensified across other courts in the region.
These incidents come in the wake of the Supreme Court's suo motu intervention following accusations by six Islamabad High Court judges. The judges alleged interference from the Pakistani intelligence agency ISI in judicial matters, including clandestine surveillance, abduction, and torture of their family members to influence case outcomes aligned with the agency's interests.