ISLAMABAD: In a significant development, a full court of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday reportedly reached a unanimous decision to give an "institutional response" to any interference in the court's affairs, according to reliable sources.
The full court meeting of the IHC, chaired by Chief Justice Aamer Farooq, convened today to finalize recommendations for submission to the Supreme Court concerning alleged interference by intelligence agencies in judicial matters.
Last month, six IHC judges—Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kiyani, Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, Justice Babar Sattar, Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan, Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir, and Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz—wrote to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) seeking guidance on reported intelligence agency interference.
Their letter stated, "We are seeking guidance from the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) regarding a judge's duty to report and respond to executive actions, including those by intelligence agencies, that obstruct official duties and constitute intimidation."
The Supreme Court subsequently initiated suo motu proceedings on the matter and requested proposals from the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC), Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), high courts, and federal government on addressing and preventing such issues.
Responding to the Supreme Court's directive, the IHC registrar's office solicited suggestions from judges to counter alleged intelligence agency interference.
During the full court meeting, all judges reportedly agreed unanimously on providing an "institutional response" to meddling in judicial affairs.
A draft containing these proposals will be prepared and submitted to the Supreme Court tomorrow (Wednesday), as per sources. The Supreme Court had set a deadline of April 25 for such recommendations.
Meanwhile, the IHC registrar's office issued a statement confirming the full court meeting chaired by CJ Farooq, attended by all high court judges. The IHC's unanimous position will be presented to the Supreme Court in the suo motu case.
