Peshawar High Court Orders Fix After Signal Jammers Disrupt Lawyers and Litigants

On Thursday, the Peshawar High Court (PHC) directed the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Additional Chief Secretary (Home and Tribal Affairs) to resolve the disruption of mobile phone signals on court premises. The disruption was caused by the installation of signal jammers near the central prison.

A bench comprising PHC Chief Justice S.M. Attique Shah and Justice Mohammad Ijaz Khan instructed ACS Mohammad Abid Majeed to submit a detailed report of a meeting scheduled for the same day with all relevant stakeholders to reach an amicable resolution. The petition had been filed by the Peshawar High Court Bar Association (PHCBA), highlighting challenges faced by litigants and lawyers due to signal disruption, particularly at the Judicial Complex.

The bench scheduled the next hearing for Friday, following a briefing by ACS Majeed on the measures being undertaken.

Representatives from the legal community, including PHCBA President Aminur Rehman Yousafzai, Vice President Arshad Ali Nowshervi, and members of the KP Bar Council, appeared for the petitioners. They requested government directives to restore full telecommunication services on court premises.

ACS Majeed explained that high-risk inmates, including convicts linked to proscribed organizations, are held in central prisons at Peshawar, Mardan, and Haripur. Despite strict protocols, some inmates gained unauthorized access to mobile phones, allegedly using them to coordinate unlawful activities.

To prevent this, the Home and Tribal Affairs Department collaborated with the National Radio and Telecommunication Corporation (NRTC) to install signal jammers. However, the measure inadvertently affected mobile signals in adjacent areas, including the Judicial Complex.

The PHC bench acknowledged the security rationale but emphasized the adverse impact on litigants, particularly the underprivileged, who may have been unable to contact their lawyers. The bench noted that such disruptions could lead to avoidable case adjournments or unintended dismissals, undermining access to justice.