Chief Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim of the Peshawar High Court has directed  for enhanced security measures for all judges in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, emphasizing that when judges make decisions against police, the officers often retaliate by withdrawing security. His remarks came during a hearing regarding the security situation in the province. Justice Ibrahim, presiding over a two-member special bench alongside Justice Ijaz Anwar, voiced concern over the increasing vulnerability of judges. "This will not work now. All judges should be given security. All my judges should be given security," he asserted, addressing the growing threats faced b judicial officers in the region.

During the proceedings, the petitioner’s lawyer informed the court that three meetings had been held as per the court's orders to discuss the security concerns. However, Chief Justice Ibrahim highlighted an alarming issue: "There is security for deputy commissioners and assistant commissioners, but when a judge gives a decision against the police, the police officers get angry and withdraw the security from the judge." The court also heard that while security measures were in place for high-risk officials, judicial magistrates were excluded from the security notification. In response, the Chief Justice demanded that the authorities address this gap immediately.

The court was further informed that the police would be preoccupied with the polio vaccination campaign next week, prompting Justice Ijaz Anwar to suggest forming a separate police force for the campaign.  "Whenever there is a polio campaign, the entire police force is busy in it. Form a separate force for polio and solve this problem," he remarked. The security situation in the province remains precarious, with reports indicating that 55,000 to 60,000 FIRs were registered annually in Peshawar alone. Additional Advocate General Inam Yousafzai assured the court that the Home Department had implemented Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for judges' security, particularly in high-risk areas, but acknowledged the lack of provisions for judicial magistrates.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)