PESHAWAR: Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim has ordered phase-wise resumption of judicial work by courts of Tank and South Waziristan districts that were earlier shifted to Dera Ismail Khan.

According to a notification issued by PHC registrar Ikhtiar Khan, the courts of the two districts should resume judicial work at their respective judicial complexes in tank district, phase-wise.

In the first phase, the notification states, the courts of district and sessions judge and senior civil judge (judicial) of both the districts should resume their work in Tank subject to provision of proper security to the judges for their commuting en-route, at their residences and the court premises, which would be subject to satisfaction of the concerned district and session.

It is pertinent to mention that on Oct 2, due to precarious security situation in the region, the high court had decided to temporarily shift courts of Tank and South Waziristan districts to adjoining Dera Ismail Khan.

That decision was taken by PHC chief justice and senior judges after taking stock of the law and order situation in those districts.

Following that orders, the judicial officers had shifted to DI Khan and had been performing their judicial functions from there.

The para-legal staff of courts had also been shifted to DI Khan. Early in Aug, three judges going in a convoy from Tank to DI Khan had narrowly escaped a militant gun attack, which had left two policemen marty.

Published in Dawn, January 5th, 2025