PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police department has issued new standard operating procedures for the deployment of police guards for the security of the judges of the Peshawar High Court and subordinate judiciary.

The SOPs addressed to the regional and district police officers noted that in order to streamline the provision of police guards to the judges of the PHC and subordinate judiciary, the competent authority in consultation with the relevant stakeholders had revisited the existing SOPs.

The department said under the new SOPs, the PHC chief justice had five guards, including a head constable and four foot constables, at his residence, while during travelling, a retinue of an assistant sub-inspector and four foot constables.

It added that the residence of a serving PHC judge would be guarded by a head constable and four foot constables, while a foot constable and police escort might be provided during transit.

The department said the retired judges of the Supreme Court and high courts would have one foot constable for security.

It added that the residences of the district and sessions judges would have four foot constables, headed by a head constable, while they would have a guard at his residence.

The department said the anti-terrorism court judges would also have four foot constables headed by head constables at their residences, while they would be accompanied by a guard while travelling.

The ex-cadre serving judges will have a guard at their residences as well as while travelling.

The additional district and session judges hearing criminal cases will have a guard, both at their residences as well while travelling.

However, the additional district and session judges, senior civil judges and civil judges will only get security in case of specific threats in mutual consultation between the district sessions judge and district police officer under intimation to the provincial police officer and PHC registrar.

The SOPs were issued in the aftermath of Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Saqib Nisar direction to remove the police’s security from the influential people not entitled to police guards.

On last Thursday, the apex court had directed the inspectors general of police of the four provinces and Islamabad to withdraw security provided to unauthorised persons within 24 hours.

Sources said following the apex court’s orders, security details of the judges were also withdrawn.

Sources said several judges had expressed concerns about the security withdrawal saying they have conducted trials in murder cases wherein the accused were expected to get death sentence.

They said the judges were concerned that in absence of security, how they were going to conduct fair trials of the accused.

A KP police spokesperson said 2,474 police personnel tasked with protecting influential personalities had reported back until Thursday.

He said the police department had forwarded its recommendations for providing police guards to the private people to the provincial government.

The spokesperson said the provincial intelligence coordination committee would look into security threats to the political leaders and other influential people.

He said the arbitrary distribution of police guard would not be allowed no more.

The spokesperson said only Frontier Reserves Police personnel would be provided to guard important personalities and personnel of the district police, elite force and other units would not be provided as guards to these personalities.

He said the police personnel in uniform would only protect those personalities and would not work as driver or servant.

Published in Dawn, April 28th, 2018