Chief Justice PHC deplores poor law and order in Southern KP

Chief Justice (CJ) of the Peshawar High Court, Justice S.M. Atiq Shah on Thursday expressed serious concern over the worsening law and order situation in southern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, stating that even he was not allowed to visit areas such as Tank, Dera Ismail Khan and Karak due to security threats

PESHAWAR, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st May, 2026) Chief Justice (CJ) of the Peshawar High Court, Justice S.M. Atiq Shah on Thursday expressed serious concern over the worsening law and order situation in southern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, stating that even he was not allowed to visit areas such as Tank, Dera Ismail Khan and Karak due to security threats.

The remarks came during a hearing at the Peshawar High Court (PHC) regarding flaws in the criminal justice system and non-implementation of court orders.

A bench comprising CJ, Justice S.M. Atiq Shah and Justice Ejaz Khan heard the case.

Senior officials including the Chief Secretary, Advocate General, Secretaries of Home, Finance, Law, and Establishment departments, along with the Director General Prosecution, appeared before the court.

During the hearing, the Chief Justice questioned why the verdict of a larger bench had still not been implemented. He termed the report submitted by the authorities unsatisfactory and observed that there was no visible practical progress.

The court had earlier directed the government to strengthen the prosecution system but the Chief Justice noted that meaningful improvements had yet to be made.

Expressing concern over the province’s security situation, the Chief Justice said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was home to nearly 40 million people, yet the situation remained deeply troubling. He observed that southern districts were under the shadow of terrorism and that travel to Dera Ismail Khan, Tank and Karak had become extremely difficult.

Justice Atiq Shah stated that he himself wanted to visit Dera Ismail Khan but was denied permission due to security concerns.

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The Chief Justice further questioned why many prosecution officers avoided serving in the districts, especially when a female district and sessions judge was performing her duties in Karak.

The court also highlighted the hardships faced by ordinary citizens and directed authorities to take immediate measures to reduce public suffering.

The absence of the Additional Chief Secretary Home during the hearing also drew criticism from the court, with the Chief Justice stating that such behavior was creating obstacles in the reform process.

Chief Secretary, Shahab Ali Shah, assured the court that he would personally review the matter and submit a comprehensive report within two to three weeks.

The Chief Justice informed the court that 21 officers involved in corruption had already been dismissed and questioned how many such actions had been taken over the past 70 years. He directed the government to remove incompetent and inactive officers while appointing honest and capable officials to key positions.

The court also took notice of the lack of forensic facilities in the province. The Chief Justice said there was no DNA testing laboratory in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, forcing authorities to send samples to Lahore at a cost of approximately Rs1.1 million per test.

He added that weaknesses in investigation and prosecution were major reasons that many accused were acquitted in criminal cases.

The court directed authorities to submit a detailed progress report within one month and adjourned the hearing until July 1.