- Asserts Interference unacceptable, but nothing has been reported to him since assuming office
- Says incidents mentioned in judges IHC letter took place well before his tenure as CJP
ISLAMABAD: In the midst of a controversy over alleged interference in judicial affairs, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa on Thursday said he had received no complaints of meddling since becoming Chief Justice of Pakistan.
“Since I’ve been chief justice, I have not received a single complaint from any high court judge that there has been interference in their work. If there has been interference in their work, it has not been reported to me,” he said while addressing the Sindh High Court Bar Association (SHCBA).
The top judge’s remarks come amid the situation revolving around the allegations made by six Islamabad High Court (IHC) judges against interference in judicial affairs by the country’s intelligence apparatus. On March 25, six IHC judges — out of a total strength of eight — wrote a startling letter to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) members, regarding attempts to pressure judges through abduction and torture of their relatives as well as secret surveillance inside their homes.
The letter was signed by judges Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, Babar Sattar, Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan, Arbab Muhammad Tahir and Saman Rafat Imtiaz.
A day later, calls had emerged from various quarters for a probe into the investigation, amid which CJP Isa summoned a full court meeting of the Supreme Court’s (SC) judges.
After a meeting between CJP Isa and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on March 28, the duo decided to form a commission to investigate the concerns of interference in judicial affairs following the cabinet’s approval. However, former CJP Tassaduq Hussain Jillani, who was appointed to head the commission, subsequently recused himself from the matter, leading to the apex court taking a suo motu notice of the issue.
On April 3, CJP Isa asserted that “any attack” on the judiciary’s independence would not be tolerated as he hinted at forming a full court to hear a suo motu case pertaining to allegations of interference in judicial affairs.
The chief justice addressed the issue today during his SHCBA address, saying that the incidents mentioned in the IHC letter were from before his tenure as the top judge began.
“Interference is not acceptable, but at the same time, nothing has been reported to me during my watch.”
Reminiscing about his time working at the Sindh High Court building, the CJP said: “I have many memories of this building and the one next to it,” adding that the high court building is “indeed an architectural gem”.
