IHCBA moves SC over interference in judiciary’s affairs
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Bar Association (IHCBA) moved the Supreme Court on Thursday against the alleged interference in the judiciary and its functions.
The IHCBA filed a constitutional petition with the apex court to investigate a leter sent by six IHC judges to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) complaining interference by spy agencies in judicial maters, and demanded a transparent investigation into the mater.
Following a transparent investigation, action should be taken against those aiming to humiliate the judiciary, the petition stated.
It added that if the mater is related to the SJC, the court should send recommendations to the SJC for review.
The IHCBA further stated in the plea that “independent judiciary was the basis of the Constitution and only source of justice; compromise on judiciary’s independence will never be accepted.”
In an unprecedented move, Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kiyani, Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, Justice Babar Satar, Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan, Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir and Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz penned a leter to the SJC, led by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, last month and expressed concerns about the “interference” of intelligence agencies in the affairs of the courts.
The mater worsened when members of the superior judiciary started receiving threatening powder-laced leters.
A total of 10 judges including Justice Ayesha Malik, Justice Irfan Saadat Khan, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, and Justice Muneeb Akhtar were the recipients of these intimidating leters.
Later, the leters containing the suspicious powdery toxic substance were sent to the Supreme Court judges, including Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, as well as other judges of the LHC.
The federal government appointed former chief justice of Pakistan Tassaduq Hussain Jillani as the head of an inquiry commission tasked with investigating allegations of intelligence agencies meddling in the affairs of the IHC.
The decision to approve the formation of an investigation body and to nominate Jillani as its head was made during a meeting of the federal cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif.
Later Jillani recused himself from heading the one-man inquiry commission formed by the government to investigate the claims and so the apex court took suo motu notice of a leter.
The situation unfolded ater a group of lawyers and civil society members urged the top court to initiate suo motu proceedings on the mater, as it rejected the “powerless” one-man commission.