SC orders implementation of plan for judges' security

Apex court seeks compliance report in two weeks

KARACHI: The Supreme Court (SC) granted on Thursday two-week's time to the provincial government to implement a security plan for the courts as well as for the judges and their families.

A three-judge bench, headed by Justice Gulzar Ahmed, also directed the provincial advocate-general (AG) to submit a compliance report within two weeks.

The bench was hearing a petition filed by the Sindh High Court Bar Association (SHCBA), seeking effective security for the courts, the judges and their families after the kidnaping of Advocate Owais Shah, the son of former Sindh High Court (SHC) chief justice Sajjad Ali Shah last year.



At the outset of the hearing, the lawyers informed the court that the police authorities had agreed on a 13-point security plan in 2014 for the security of the judges, their families, lawyers and courts. Ten out of 13 points of the security plan were related to the security of the SHC building and the City Courts building.

The judges expressed their dismay over the authorities' failure to implement the security plan, despite the lapse of a considerable period of time and questioned what caused the delay.

AG Barrister Zamir Ghumro told the SC that most of the points in the security plan had been implemented.



Justice Ahmed inquired why the 'ghost' parking plaza in Saddar had not yet been made functional to resolve the problem of parking in the congested neighbourhood where parking posed a security threat to different government offices. The SHCBA's secretary pointed out that illegal parking around the Passport Office building posed a threat to the security of the SHC building.

The bench directed the AG to ensure that all the points in the security plan are fully implemented by the police and others authorities concerned within two weeks. It also sought a compliance report by the next date of the hearing.