Bomb hoax: Letter reveals plot to assassinate president, CJ

A note found in the Supreme Court building threatens to blow up SC premises.

ISLAMABAD:

A letter found on Thursday in the parking lot of the Supreme Court threatened to assassinate President Asif Ali Zardari and Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry at noon on “either Friday” (today) “or Saturday”.

The Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS), along with law-enforcement agencies, swung into action after the chief justice was informed about the threatening note, which alleged that a bomb had been planted in the Supreme Court building.

The bomb disposal squad had the apex court building evacuated, and after a thorough search of the premises, declared it a ‘safe zone’.

According to reports, the letter was written by two men who called themselves Aman Khan and Samandar Khan.

Following the threat, security around the court premises was beefed up while investigations into the matter are under way.

Senior lawyers, who were there at the Supreme Court when the incident occurred, termed the threat a stark reminder of the need for strict security arrangements, particularly since, they said, the threat had come in the backdrop of the court’s suo motu notice of Karachi violence.

A five-member bench of the Supreme Court, headed by the chief justice will start hearing the suo motu case on Friday (today).



Published in The Express Tribune, August 26^th, 2011.