ISLAMABAD: Against the backdrop of the Aug 8 Quetta terrorism attack, the Rawalpindi police have assured the Supreme Court of taking a number of measures to provide adequate security and safety to the members of the judiciary as well as lawyers on the premises of different courts in the district.

In a report submitted to the apex court, the Rawalpindi city police said they had chalked out an elaborate plan to maintain round-the-clock monitoring of the court premises.

The premises where security details have been beefed up include the new judicial complex, old district courts, anti-terrorism courts, Lahore High Court’s Rawalpindi bench and the tehsil courts in Taxila, Murree, Kahuta, Kallar Syedan, Kotli Sattian and Gujar Khan.

Soon after two suicide bombers struck the Islamabad district courts complex at F-8 sector on March 3, 2014, the then chief justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani took a suo motu notice by declaring the incident a serious breach of security. As many as 11 people, including an additional sessions judge, were killed in the incident.

Later, Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui of Islamabad High Court (IHC) was appointed the head of an inquiry commission which in its report outlined 13 recommendations. The commission also conceded that foolproof security could not be ensured at the F-8 court complex since the district kutchery was located amidst shopping plazas, hotels and grocery stores with the courts running parallel and at times adjacent to shops.

On Oct 10, a three-judge Supreme Court bench, headed by Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan, took up the suo motu case but the hearing had to be postponed in view of the absence of the government law officer concerned.

But before postponing the proceedings, the court observed that the matter was last taken up on Feb 2, 2015, and had to be decided one way or the other with a clear line of direction to the concerned quarters.

In its report, the Rawalpindi police explained that the SSP Special Branch had been ordered to make arrangements for searching and sweeping of the court premises as well as the vehicles entering the court buildings.

In addition, the SP (security) has been directed to carry out snap checking of duty officers whereas the SP headquarters has been asked to check the duty of the personnel on a daily basis.

All the force deployed on duty is equipped with weapons, walkthrough gates, metal detectors, bulletproof jackets and bottom view mirrors. The report said a number of head constables, lady constables and elite force personnel had been deployed on different positions, including rooftops, in addition to the close circuit television cameras.

A complaint cell has also been established in the judicial complex Rawalpindi for receiving complaints from lawyers. The in-charge of the cell has been ordered to immediately intimate any complaint received from lawyers to the SSP (operations) as well as the chief security officer for necessary action, the report said.

In addition, meetings with lawyers are being convened regularly to discuss the security issues and there is also a close liaison of police with the presidents of the district as well as the high court bar associations.

Published in Dawn, October 12th, 2016