Letter threatens suicide bombing on Pak court premises between June 27-30

Lahore, June 28(ANI): An anonymous letter has issued a threat to blow up Lahore's Aiwan-e-Adl courts in a suicide bomb attack within three days.

District and Sessions Judge Mujahid Mustaqime Ahmed received a letter that stated that a suicide-bombing attempt would be made on Aiwna-e-Adl premises between June 27 and 30.

However, security agencies have not taken any measure as yet to beef up security on the court premises to avoid any untoward incident, The News reports.

As the news spread, some of the judges at Aiwan-e-Adl and sessions court premises did not sit in their courts, while lawyers also restrained from appearing before the courts owing to the security threats.

Justice Ahmed said that he had instructed judges to postpone cases that attracted large crowds to the courtrooms. He also said that all necessary measures would be taken to prevent a terrorist attack.

Talking to The Express Tribune, some lawyers said that the letter's sender might have taken offence at an event celebrating the birth anniversary of Hazrat Ali (RA) at Aiwan-i-Adl almost two weeks ago.

Other lawyers suggested that the threat came from someone upset about blasphemy cases, noting that one case was being followed by clerics who had threatened the lawyers representing the blasphemy accused. They also said that the threat to Aiwan-i-Adl could be a distraction and the Sessions Court the real target.

Lahore Bar Association General Secretary Farhad Ali Shah said that the Punjab government had ignored their complaints about security concerns at the courts.

This threat is the latest of several recent incidents that has deepened concerns among the legal professions about security at their workplaces.

Two brothers appearing as defendants in a murder trial were shot dead inside a courtroom at the Sessions Court on May 28, prompting a strike until extra security measures were taken.

On June 11, some lawyers thrashed a guard for frisking them at the entrance to Aiwan-i-Adl, while on June 18, a judicial magistrate hid into his bathroom when he was charged by under-trial prisoners carrying razor blades at the District Court. (ANI)