LAHORE, June 29: Judges of Lahore’s four anti-terrorism courts have not been provided the protected official residences required under the rules despite filing an application with the Home Department three months ago.

The application was filed through the Lahore High Court registrar.

Section 21(3) of the Anti Terrorism Act, 1997, prescribes “the government shall extend protection to a judge, a counsel/public prosecutor and witness during the investigations of an offence and proceedings under this Act and thereafter as may be necessary.”

Sources in ATCs’ prosecution wing told Dawn the Home Department had promised in March to provide official residences having adequate security arrangements for three ATC judges. The fourth judge, performing similar duties since 1999, too, has not been provided such a residence.

Sources said the Provincial Monitoring Committee for ATCs Punjab had been told by Home Department officials in a meeting earlier this week that the matter would now be taken up with the additional chief secretary and the law minister. PMC sources claimed that no deadline had been set for the final approval of the facility and that the matter was still pending.

“These judges had apprehensions about their security and for their families. They were promised secure official residences in the emoluments package approved by the Home Department,” a source said. He said the governor, Lt-Gen Khalid Maqbool (retired), had been briefed by the PMC in April about the ATC judges trying activists of banned militant parties and their apprehensions about security. The governor was claimed to have issued directions for providing them official residences.

Working earlier as additional district and sessions judges they had been entitled to official residences. They are now residing in private houses and are paid a monthly house rent allowance between Rs4,000 and Rs5,000. Six men have been deputed for guard duty for each of them.

One of the judges, Mujahid Mustaqeem, is said to be residing in Sheikhupura. He commutes daily between his house and the court and a van carrying six security guards escorts him besides four men riding on motorcycles.