ISLAMABAD: A special task force has been constituted to provide better security to judges of the superior courts in the wake of successive attacks against judicial officers during the recent spate of terrorist attacks in the country.

The task force was recently notified by the interior ministry, which also constituted a three-member committee that will provide recommendations on how to better protect judges.

According to the notification, the task force will be staffed with trained and well-equipped personnel who will be deployed with the judges for their security.

Three-member committee tasked with submitting recommendations within a fortnight

National Police Bureau (NPB) Director Syed Kaleem Imam will head the three-member committee, formed by Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan to give recommendations on how to improve the security of judges. Islamabad Inspector General Tariq Masood Yasin and National Counter Terrorism Authority (Nacta) Director General Umar Sheikh are also members of the body, which has been given 15 days to complete its task.

The notification states that even if one of the committee members is transferred to another post, they will continue to remain members of this three-member committee.

The three members will also hold consultations with the Frontier Constabulary (FC) commandant and look into enhancing the security of judges of the Supreme Court and Islamabad High Court (IHC), among others.

The committee will present its report to Nacta along with recommendations regarding constitution of the special force, its budget and terms of reference (ToR). Nacta will then forward the report to the interior secretary.

While the security of superior court judges in the federal capital is comparatively better than that of the lower courts, the Islamabad district courts have remained a target for terrorists in the past.

At a meeting held to review the security of IHC judges last year, it was pointed out that a shortage of personnel and a lack of other facilities was the main reason for inadequate protection of judges.

District and sessions judges also pointed out security issues that needed to be addressed immediately.

It was decided at the meeting that walkthrough gates and CCTV cameras should be installed on court premises forthwith.

Calls for improving judges’ security became more forceful following the deadly Civil Hospital bombing in Quetta, which effectively wiped out an entire generation of lawyers in Balochistan. The very next day, a judge’s vehicle was targeted in the same city.

Last week, on Feb 15, a convoy of five civil judges was attacked in Peshawar, where a driver was killed and four of the judges were injured.

Published in Dawn, February 20th, 2017