Commission formed in response to judicial concerns over threatening letters

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Friday directed the government to establish a commission following recent talks on threatening letters addressed to the judiciary.

Judges currently serving in the Supreme Court, Lahore High Court and Islamabad High Court received threatening letters in the first week of April. Some of the letters which contained a toxic substance later identified as arsenic. This prompted opening an investigation into the incident, with cases registered against unidentified personnel with the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) as well.

Read more: Sixth LHC judge receives suspicious letter; investigation continues

The Supreme Court also convened a full court meeting that was followed by a discussion between the Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa and the Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif.

The PM then took steps to form an inquiry commission, with former SC Chief Justice Tassaduq Jillani nominated to head the task. Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) member Qadir Mandokhail was also appointed to probe the incident.

Sharif’s government assured the judiciary of “full cooperation”, promising a “thorough examination” of the issues.

The incident has garnered attention from leaders across the political spectrum, with Bilawal Bhutto admitting regret during a session of the Parliament. He expressed remorse over the passing of the 19th amendment to the constitution during his father Asif Ali Zardari’s presidency from 2008-2013.

The 19th amendment was passed in 2011 during PPP’s rule. It reformed the procedure for judicial appointments and extended the boundaries of the the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).

Read more: Judges’ letter issue will be fully probed: PM

Similarly, Bilal Kayani from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) called for a “serious investigation” into the matter, while Qadir Mandukhel pointed out the seriousness of the situation and called for “summoning all judges and lawyers in Pakistan”.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Naeem Haider Panjotha raised concerns about a potential “government conspiracy” behind the threatening letters.