Islamabad: A Pakistani court on Friday directed the government to provide a bulletproof car to former Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, saying even those who violated the Constitution were being given foolproof security.
Justice Shoukat Siddiqui of the Islamabad High Court issued the directive while hearing a plea filed by former Rawalpindi High Court Bar Association president Sheikh Ahsanuddin for providing security to Chaudhry. During the hearing, Cabinet Division Joint Secretary Zia-ul-Haq told the judge that a bulletproof vehicle was given to Chaudhry but it was not functioning properly.
There is no other vehicle which can be provided to him, he said. The Cabinet Division will write a letter to the Prime Minister’s Secretariat in this regard, Haq said.
Islamabad Police chief Sikander Hayat told the court that four security personnel have been deployed for Chaudhry’s security. In an apparent reference to the security provided to former military ruler Pervez Musharraf, Justice Siddiqui then remarked that those who violated the Constitution were being given foolproof security while the protector of the Constitution was ignored and left in the lurch.
The judge expressed his displeasure at the non-provision of proper security to Chaudhry and ordered the city police chief to provide “proper security” to him and adjourned the matter till January 9.
The bulletproof vehicle has to be provided to Chaudhry within three days, the judge said. Citing threats to his life, Chaudhry had last month sought foolproof security and a bulletproof vehicle.
While he was in office, Chaudhry had tight security cover and drove around in an imported bulletproof BMW sedan. His retirement last month ended an era marked by aggressive judicial activism that even forced the resignation of a serving premier. However, his critics accused him of judicial over-reach. (PTI)
