PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Friday directed the provincial capital’s police to provide proper security to a local trader threatened by extortionists purportedly belonging to a banned militant outfit.

The directions were issued by a bench consisting of Justice Irshad Qaisar and Justice Syed Afsar Shah before disposing of a petition of Malik Khursheed Ahmad, who complained he had been receiving death threats for paying extortion but the local police didn’t provide security to him.

Moazzam Butt, lawyer for the petitioner, said his client, the owner of a drugstore in Dabgari Garden area, had been receiving phone calls from certain extortionists, who claimed they were members of a banned militant outfit, for a couple of months.

He said the callers had been asking his client to pay extortion otherwise he would be killed.

The lawyer said although his client had been cooperating with the local police, the extortionists had not been arrested so far.

Peshawar’s Malik Khursheed complained he’s been receiving death threats for payment of extortion

He said the police had also not been providing protection to his client, who might be harmed by extortionists.

Mr Butt said under the Constitution, it was the responsibility of the State to provide protection to its citizen and to safeguard their life and properties.

He requested the court to allow his client to keep weapons of prohibitory bore for own security.

Police inspector Farhad Hussain informed the court that the force had been investigating the case and had collected the data of the petitioner’s cellphone number and that of the phone numbers used by extortionists.

He said the police had traced one of the suspects, whose arrest was expected soon.

The official claimed the police had also been providing protection to the petitioner.

Additional advocate general Qaisar Ali Shah opposed the petitioner’s plea for permission to keep prohibited bore weapons saying if that permission was granted, all citizens would approach the court for the favour.

He added that the police had already been providing security to the petitioner, which would be further improved.

EDUCATION DEPT ORDER SUSPENDED: The bench also suspended an order of the directorate of elementary and secondary education to make it mandatory for the watchmen of different schools in Upper and Lower Dir districts to perform duty round the clock.

It sought comments from the provincial government through the education secretary, relevant official of the directorate of elementary and secondary education and district education officers to file comments on the petition jointly filed by several school watchmen, including Mohammad Nawaz.

Iftikhar Ali, lawyer for the petitioners, said in Jan 2016, the provincial education department had issued a notification making it mandatory for the watchmen in government schools to perform duties round the clock and stating the watchman would be responsible in case of any untoward incident at the school.

He added that the said notification was sent to different districts.

The lawyer said the relevant district education officers in Upper and Lower Dir had conveyed the order in March to the petitioners and other watchmen in the districts.

He said in Feb this year, the court declared illegal an almost identical order issued in Nowshera district.

“The order of the education department and subsequent directives issued by the DEOs are illegal,” he said asking how a single human being could perform duty round the clock.

The lawyer said the official working hour was eight hours a day and therefore, asking an official to perform duty beyond that duration was illegal.

Published in Dawn, May 7th, 2016