ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP), Qazi Faez Isa suggested the possibility of convening a full court session during the next hearing regarding the suo motu notice taken on allegations made by Islamabad High Court (IHC) judges regarding interference by intelligence agencies.
At the start of the hearing, which was telecasted live on television channels, CJP Isa instructed the attorney general to present the press release issued following the full court meeting.
Expressing concerns, CJP Isa remarked, "We may be regressing into the era of Goebbels in terms of propaganda."
He revealed that he had held a meeting with high court judges on the same day the letter was received. The CJP emphasized that there would be no compromise on judicial freedom and questioned the absence of lawyers who had advocated for the suo motu notice over the past four years, suggesting that if someone had ulterior motives, they were free to aspire to positions such as chief justice or bar president.
Stressing zero tolerance for undue pressure, CJP Isa asserted that an official meeting with the prime minister had been administrative rather than judicial. In response, the attorney general clarified that any perception suggesting that the government was establishing its own commission was incorrect, citing the recommendation of former Chief Justice of Pakistan Tassaduq Hussain Jilani as the commission's head.
The suo motu case was heard by a seven-member larger bench led by CJP Faez Isa, including Justices Mansoor Ali Shah, Yahya Afridi, Jamal Mandokhail, Athar Minallah, Musarrat Hilali, and Naeem Akhtar Afghan.
It's noteworthy that six serving judges of the Islamabad High Court wrote a letter to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), urging it to convene a judicial convention to address the issue of intelligence agencies interfering with judicial functions.
The federal government announced the establishment of an inquiry commission to investigate the concerns raised in the letter, with former CJP Justice (retired) Tassaduq Hussain Jillani appointed to lead the commission.
However, Jillani declined to head the inquiry commission, stating that the letter was addressed to the Supreme Judicial Council and did not fall under Article 209.
A day before the Supreme Court's suo motu hearing, eight judges, including the Chief Justice of the Islamabad High Court, reportedly received letters containing 'anthrax.'
One of the letters, opened by a judge's staff, was found to contain an unidentified powder. A team of experts from the Islamabad Police arrived at the Islamabad High Court premises to assess the situation upon the discovery of the suspicious substance.
The primary focus of the investigation is to determine the nature of the powder and assess any potential threat. Sources within the court revealed that along with the powder, the letters also contained threatening messages.
It's worth noting that the letter was purportedly written by a woman named Resham, with no specific address provided.
