Top IHC judges complain of ‘meddling’ in judicial affairs

ISLAMABAD: In a leter writen to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) members, six Islamabad High Court (IHC) judges have accused the intelligence apparatus of interference in judicial affairs, including atempts to pressure judges through abduction and torture of their relatives and secret surveillance inside their homes.

The leter, addressed to Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, Supreme Court Justices Mansoor Ali Shah and Munib Akhtar and chief justices of the IHC and Peshawar High Court, also questioned if there exists a state police to “intimidate” and coerce judges.

The leter has been signed by Justices Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, Babar Satar, Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan, Arbab Muhammad Tahir and Saman Rafat Imtiaz of the IHC.

The leter mentioned seven instances of alleged interference and intimidation “to influence the outcome of cases of interest” by the intelligence officials, pointing out that when two out of three judges in the bench hearing the plea to disqualify Pakistan Tehrik-e-insaf (PTI) leader Imran Khan for concealing his alleged daughter opined that the case was not maintainable, they were pressured by “operatives of the ISI (Inter-services Intelligence)” through friends and relatives. The situation got so stressful that one of the judges had to be admited to hospital due to high blood pressure, the leter said.

A statement released on Imran Khan’s X account said “the fact that the judges have been intimidated and coerced into giving judgments based on political expediency raises a lot of questions on the fairness of the courts and their judgments over the last two years.”

The leter complained that “interference on the part of intelligence operatives” continued even ater IHC chief justice’s assurance. It also referred to the abduction of an IHC judge’s brother-in-law by armed men who claimed to be ISI operatives.