By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: The Chief Justice of Pakistan, Qazi Faez Isa, has formed a seven-member bench on Monday to commence hearings on allegations of interference in judicial decisions by the country’s intelligence agencies, as claimed by six judges from the Islamabad High Court (IHC).
The court roster indicates that proceedings are set to begin on Wednesday.
The accusations surfaced last week when the IHC judges penned a letter to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), implicating the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in acts of intimidation and coercion related to legal cases.
Among the cases cited was one involving the incarcerated former Prime Minister, Imran Khan.
The judges also recounted incidents of family abductions, torture, and covert surveillance, allegedly aimed at swaying their legal judgments.
The bench, led by Chief Justice Isa, includes Justices Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Yahya Afridi, Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Athar Minallah, Musarrat Hilali, and Naeem Akhtar Afghan.
The development follows a meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief Justice Isa, where ex-Chief Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani was nominated to lead a government inquiry commission to probe judges’ chargesheet against the powerful military.
However, Jillani has since declined the role, suggesting that the SJC or the Supreme Court should handle the investigation, as outlined in Article 209 of the Constitution, which grants the SJC authority over inquiries into the conduct of judges.
The refusal comes amidst calls from over 300 lawyers for the Supreme Court to independently examine the claims, arguing that a government-led commission would not be sufficiently impartial.
This controversy echoes past allegations by PM Sharif’s party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), against the ISI for influencing court decisions, including those leading to the conviction of Nawaz Sharif, the Prime Minister’s brother, in 2017.
The military, which has historically wielded significant influence over the nation’s governance, denies any involvement in political matters.
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