Islamabad High Court: In Pakistan, six judges of Islamabad High Court have accused the country’s powerful intelligence agencies of interfering in the functioning of the judiciary. The judges have written a letter to the Judicial Council of Pakistan regarding this. Judges say that the country’s intelligence agencies put various kinds of pressure on the High Court, which affects the functioning of the judiciary. The judges of the High Court have appealed to the Judicial Council for help.
According to media reports, six judges of Islamabad High Court have signed and sent a letter to the Judicial Council, demanding intervention in this matter. The names of the judges who signed the letter include Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, Justice Babar Sattar, Justice Sardar Ijaz Ishaq Khan, Justice Tariq Mahmood Jahangiri, Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz and Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir.
What was written in the judges’ letter?
The Judicial Council is the supreme body to take action over the judges of the High Court and the Supreme Court. In such a situation, the judges of the High Court have requested for help from the Judicial Council. The letter states that ‘We are writing a letter to the Supreme Judicial Council to seek guidance regarding the duties of a judge. It is the duty of judges to report to the Judicial Council on pressure exerted on the judiciary by people from the government, including security agencies. We also want to bring to light the threats given for this. It becomes clear from this letter that the High Court judges are receiving threats.
“We, therefore, request that a judicial convention be called to consider the matter of interference of intelligence operatives with judicial functions and/or intimidation of judges in a manner that undermines the independence of the judiciary.”
6 judges of the Islamabad High Court… pic.twitter.com/F4CweGVwMg
— PTI (@PTIofficial) March 26, 2024
Serious allegations against ISI
Actually, this demand has been made after the Supreme Court declared the removal of Justice Aziz Siddiqui of Islamabad High Court from the post illegal. During a speech, Azizi Siddiqui had accused the country’s intelligence agency ISI of obstructing court proceedings, after which he was dismissed in 2018. In this letter, the judges of the High Court have also demanded to investigate the questions raised by Justice Siddiqui on ISI.