Terrorism case registered after Karachi judge gets threatening note with bullet

KARACHI: Police have launched an investigation after registering a terrorism case when a civil judge, who has also served as a judge of an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in the past, received an envelope containing a bullet in his chamber on Friday, officials said on Saturday.

South DIG Syed Asad Raza said that Aram Bagh police have registered an FIR on a complaint of the private secretary of Judge Suhail Jabbar Malik, chairman of the Appellate Tribunal, Local Council Secretariat Karachi.

According to the complainant, Javed Iqbal, on April 3 he found an envelope on the table inside the judge’s chamber. The envelope contained a 9mm pistol bullet and a note stating: “Suhail judge, your gift.”

The FIR said the judge had also served in the ATC for over five years.

The police have invoked Section 506-B (criminal intimidation) of the Pakistan Penal Code and relevant sections of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997.

The investigation has been tasked to the in-charge of the Crime Investigation Cell (CIC), Preedy Division.

As per the contents of the FIR, the complainant said some labourers had arrived at the judge’s chamber for work on Friday, while the envelope was found at 12:15pm.

The labourers and the judge’s staff expressed ignorance as to how the envelope had reached there.

The staff, Qari Abdul Rasheed, said he had cleaned the chamber on Thursday and did not see any envelope at that time.

The complainant believed that an unidentified person had issued a death threat to the judge and sought legal proceedings in this regard.

Published in Dawn, April 5th, 2026