Sixth LHC judge receives suspicious letter; investigation continues

LAHORE: Another Lahore High Court (LHC) judge, Justice Ali Baqar Najafi, has been targeted with a suspicious letter. This incident follows on the heels of similar occurrences directed at five other LHC judges, including the LHC Chief Justice Malik Shehzad Ahmed Khan.

Other LHC judges that have been targeted are Justice Shujaat Ali Khan, Justice Alia Neelam, Justice Shahid Bilal Hasan, and Justice Abid Aziz Sheikh.

Judges’ letter issue will be fully probed: PM

Today, Justice Najafi’s secretary received the dubious correspondence, marking an addition to the growing tally of targeted judicial figures.

Prior to this, four Supreme Court judges including Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa also received threatening letters. Other Supreme Court Justices that have been targeted include Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Jamal Mandokhel and Justice Aminuddin.

According to sources, suspicious powder was found in the letters along with drawings of threatening images.

Powder-laced letters sent to high court judges traced back to Islamabad

The letters have been handed over to the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), which initiated an investigation into the matter. Now, the letter received by Justice Najafi’s secretary has also been forwarded to the CTD.

Earlier reports now confirm that these letters contain traces of arsenic.

Speaking on the matter, Lahore DIG Ali Nasir Rizvi confirmed that investigations were underway, extending to other judicial precincts to assess the extent of the threat.