iSLAMABAD: More than 300 attorneys from various bar associations around the nation have praised the judges of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) for their “courageous” decision to write a letter about alleged spy agencies’ meddling in the affairs of the judiciary. They have also asked the supreme court to hear the case in accordance with Article 184(3) of the Constitution.
In a letter to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) on Tuesday, the judges of the Islamic Haq Court (IHC) — Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kiyani, Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, Justice Babar Sattar, Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan, Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir, and Justice Saman Fafat Imtiaz — urged the council to hold a judicial convention in response to the alleged meddling in judicial affairs by intelligence services.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa met on Thursday.
A former judge of “impeccable integrity” was chosen to lead an inquiry commission that was tasked with looking into the situation, according to an official statement.
The correspondence was sent the day after the federal cabinet authorized the formation of an investigative panel, headed by the former Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP), Tassaduq Hussain Jillani, to examine the claims of intelligence agency intervention in the legal proceedings.
Insofar as they resolve to preserve the concept of judicial independence and show support for the six judges of the Islamabad High Court, we support the resolutions adopted by the Islamabad High Court Bar Association, the Sindh High Court Bar Association, the Pakistan Bar Council, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bar Council, and the Balochistan Bar Council.
