ISLAMABAD: In a show of support for the stance taken by six judges of the Islamabad High Court (IHC), the Balochistan Bar Council (BBC) has lodged a constitutional petition with the Supreme Court. The petition, submitted by Hamid Khan Advocate, names the federation and the government of Pakistan as respondents.
The bar council seeks a declaration from the court that the actions detailed in the IHC judges’ letter of March 26, purportedly indicating interference by state institutions in judicial matters, are unconstitutional and pose a threat to law, access to justice, and the judiciary’s independence.
Furthermore, the council urges the apex court to direct the federal government to address any individuals found engaging in unlawful interference with court affairs in accordance with the law. Additionally, it requests measures to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future.
On March 25, six out of the eight IHC judges penned a letter to the Chairman of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa, raising serious allegations against state agencies for employing coercive tactics to influence judicial decisions.
Following the letter’s publication, the government announced the formation of an inquiry commission to investigate the allegations. Subsequently, the Supreme Court took suo motu notice of the matter after former Chief Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani declined to lead the proposed commission.
During a recent full court meeting chaired by IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq, the IHC unanimously acknowledged the interference of intelligence agencies in their judicial functions. This meeting was convened in response to the Supreme Court’s directive seeking recommendations from high courts on safeguarding their independence from agency interference.
Previously, both the Lahore and Peshawar High Courts held full court meetings to address similar concerns. All eight IHC judges concurred that agency interference in judicial functions would not be tolerated. They also resolved to devise new standard operating procedures (SOPs) outlining how the judiciary would respond to future attempts at interference.
