LAHORE:
Judges of the higher judiciary, especially those hearing high-profile terrorism cases should be provided bullet-proof vehicles with pre-installed jammer systems, documents obtained by The Express Tribune said on Sunday.
According to recommendations of a commission mandated by the federal government to review the security of Supreme Court and high court judges, protective arrangements for superior court judges as well as court premises was “not satisfactory” in light of the current wave of terrorism.
The commission, headed by the chief justice of the Balochistan High Court, has forwarded its recommendations to the federal government, calling for quick implementation.
The report was also referred to all provincial governments, urging them to take necessary steps to beef up judges’ security.
Personnel deployed on judges’ court security detail were not adequately trained, the report said, adding that they were “incapable of facing the current level of terrorism”.
Stressing the need for closely monitoring people visiting court premises, the report said that proper identification papers should be issued to court staff, and all lawyers should be issued credentials by respective bars.
Calling for adequate surveillance to thwart terrorist threat, the report emphasised the need for the installation of closed-circuit television cameras (CCTVs) inside the court premises, besides calling for establishing control centres for monitoring and storage of video data, enabling the law-enforcement agencies to identify attackers in case of an incident.
The report insisted that bullet-proof vehicles with jammer systems already installed should be provided to judges, especially those who “receive threats or hear high-profile terrorism cases”.
The Punjab chief secretary has sent a circular to the home secretary and the provincial Inspector General of Police, directing them to immediately implement the commission’s recommendations regarding provision of fool-proof security to judges as well as court premises.
Another circular issued by the ministry of interior, the Punjab home department and the Inspector General of Police, Punjab, ordered the Capital City Police Officer (CCPO), all Regional Police Officers (RPOs),City Police Officers (CPOs) and District Police Officers(DPOs) to provide fool-proof security to judges, including the ones of anti-terrorism courts hearing high-profile cases “even if they are transferred or retired”, adding that such judges should be provided infallible security even two months after their retirements to avoid any untoward incident.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 25th, 2011.
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