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Tag: IHC

  • PTI demands full court, rejects ‘like-minded’ judges bench

    PTI demands full court, rejects ‘like-minded’ judges bench

    In an echo to past objections, former ruling party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has rejected the constitution of a seven-member bench led by the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) to investigate the six judges’ letter documenting alleged interference by intelligence agencies in judicial matters.

    At a press conference, former Chief Minister of Gligit-Baltistan Khalid Khurshid along with the party’s central information secretary Raoof Hasan declared that PTI would not accept the legitimacy of the seven-member bench terming it “like-minded judges” that was made at the behest of the CJP to get a decision of their choice.

    He demanded that a full court be constituted to investigate the serious allegations levelled by the six IHC judges and the proceedings should be telecast live. Raoof also added that judges should be allowed to tell their stories in a judicial conference as well.

    He lauded ex-CJP Tasadduq Hussain Jillani’s decision to recuse himself from the inquiry commission and congratulated the legal fraternity for their principled stance. He also commented that the IHC judges demonstrated great courage by writing the letter.

  • Tasadduq passes the buck back to the Supreme Court

    Tasadduq passes the buck back to the Supreme Court

    Former Chief Justice Pakistan Tassaduq Hussain Jillani on April 1 recused himself from heading the “inquiry committee” that was approved by the Federal Cabinet regarding the Islamabad High Court judges’ letter.

    Jillani’s letter was written to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif with the subject “One Man Inquiry Commission.”
    Last week, on Tuesday, six judges of IHC wrote an explosive letter to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) alleging blatant interference of intelligence agencies in judicial matters.

    The very next day, calls for investigations began to gain ground which led to CJP Qazi Faez Isa holding a full court meeting of the Supreme Court judges.

    On Thursday, the PM met with CJP and an inquiry commission was made to probe into the matter. The Federal Cabinet approved and appointed Tassaduq Jillani as the commission head on Saturday.

    However, more than 300 lawyers wrote a joint letter to the Supreme Court urging them to take Suo Moto initiative in the judges’ allegations.

    The Supreme Court on Monday took suo motu notice of the IHC judges’ letter while the former CJP Jillani also refused to head the one-man inquiry commission citing that the letter referenced the top court to intervene so it would be “violative of judicial propriety” for him to inquire into a matter which “may fall within the jurisdiction of a constitutional body which is the SJC or the Supreme Court itself”

  • Lawyers call upon the SC to use suo moto powers to probe IHC judges letter

    Lawyers call upon the SC to use suo moto powers to probe IHC judges letter

    More than 300 lawyers across the country have urged the Supreme Court to initiate proceedings under Article 184(3) on the Islamabad High Court Judges’ letter to the Chief Justice of Pakistan alleging “interference” by the executive in judicial matters.

    On March 26, 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 Fafat Imtiaz — wrote a letter to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), demanding a judicial convention over the alleged meddling of spy agencies in legal matters.

    Last week, the CJP met with the Prime Minister to discuss this matter and it was mutually agreed to make an inquiry commission chaired by a retired judge to investigate the allegations.

    “We further call upon the Supreme Court of Pakistan to take cognisance of the matter in its jurisdiction under Article 184(3) of the Constitution as this issue eminently relates to the public interest and to the enforcement of fundamental rights,” the lawyers’ statement came after the commission was approved by the federal cabinet.

  • Cabinet names ex-CJP Tassaduq Hussain Jillani as head of commission

    Cabinet names ex-CJP Tassaduq Hussain Jillani as head of commission

    The federal cabinet on Saturday officially approved the constitution of an inquiry commission to investigate the shocking allegations made by the six Islamabad High Court (IHC) judges and forwarded the name of former Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice (retired) Tassaduq Hussain Jillani as its head.

    The 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 Fafat Imtiaz — sent the letter on Tuesday to Supreme Judicial Council headed by CJP Qazi Faez Isa.

    The letter sent shockwaves across the country as it underscored the alleged “interference” of intelligence agencies in legal matters of the court.
    Responding to the letter, the CJP and the Prime Minister held a meeting and a decision was reached to establish a commission to investigate the contents of the letter.

    Justice Jillani is known for his ‘balanced’ approach. He was awarded the 2020 J Clifford Wallace Award by the J Reuben Clark Law Society (JRCLS) to honor his “extraordinary career as a judge and a jurist”. He also received the 2023 American Bar Association (ABA) International Human Rights Award.

  • ‘You’re asking the cat who drank the cream’; Fawad Chaudhry jokes about PM’s inquiry commission

    ‘You’re asking the cat who drank the cream’; Fawad Chaudhry jokes about PM’s inquiry commission

    Former federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry has quipped that the commission to investigate the six judges’ letter is akin to “asking a cat to investigate who has drank the milk.”

    Chaudhry had been detained by authorities on graft charges since November 2023. His office page on X, formerly Twitter, posted the video of him being presented to the court for a hearing where he gave the humorous remarks about the inquiry commission.

    On Tuesday, six judges of Islamabad High Court (IHC) wrote an explosive letter to Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) alleging egregious meddling by the executive, including spy agencies, in judicial affairs. Following this, the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met with the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa.

    It was decided that the PM would constitute an inquiry commission headed by a retired judge to probe into the allegations levelled against intelligence agencies.

  • Punishing Nawaz Sharif on Iqama was judge’s mistake, says Aleema Khan

    Punishing Nawaz Sharif on Iqama was judge’s mistake, says Aleema Khan

    Founder Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khan has said that punishing Nawaz Sharif on Iqama in the Panama case was a judge’s mistake.  

    Talking to media in Islamabad, Aleema Khan declared that the letter from six Islamabad High Court (IHC) judges has revealed the wrongdoing of many individuals. She emphasised the importance of judges advocating for justice, stating that without their support, justice cannot prevail. Aleema Khan urged lawyers to unite in solidarity.

    Imran Khan’s sister stated that the judge made a mistake in the Panama case. She pointed out that the former prime minister was sentenced in the Iqama case, not in the original case, adding that if he were punished in the original case, he would not be free today.

    Aleema continued to say that if pay attention to the cipher case, there will be no doubt in the statement of Asad Majeed. The 10-year sentence in the cipher case and the treason case will be buried; this case is being conducted to save Donald Lu.

  • PTI to stage protest on Sunday in solidarity with judges

    PTI to stage protest on Sunday in solidarity with judges

    The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) announced on Thursday that it will stage a protest on Sunday in solidarity with judges and for the release of PTI founder Imran Khan.

    “The PTI is going to stage a rally for the freedom of the judiciary on the directives issued by the founder of the PTI,” party Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said while talking to the media after a meeting with Imran Khan.

    Earlier, Adiala jail authorities gave permission to 11 PTI leaders and the PTI’s legal team to visit Imran Khan in prison, including Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Shoaib Shaheen, Sher Afzal Marwat, Faisal Javaid, Zartaj Gul and Amir Niazi.

    “We will soon write a letter to the Chief Justice of Pakistan on behalf of the founder of PTI, while Imran Khan, in his message from the jail, has expressed complete solidarity with the cause of the judiciary’s freedom,” Barrister Gohar said.

    This development comes after six judges of the IHC — 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) to convene a judicial convention over the matter of the alleged interference of members of the executive, including operatives of intelligence agencies, in judicial affairs.

  • CJP throws weight behind commission to probe Judges’ letter

    CJP throws weight behind commission to probe Judges’ letter

    Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa on Thursday said that any “interference by the Executive in the affairs and judicial workings of Judges will not be tolerated”.

    The statement came through a widely anticipated press release by the Supreme Court after the CJP met with the Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif yesterday regarding the six judges’ letter alleging meddling by spy agencies in judicial matters.

    The press release stated “under no circumstances can independence of judiciary be allowed to compromise,” adding that the CJP and the Senior Puisne Judge believed that an independent judiciary is a “foundational pillar which upholds the rule of law” and fosters a strong democracy.

    It added that a proposal was made to constitute an inquiry commission under the Pakistan Commissions of Inquiry Act, 2017 and it would be headed by a retired judge of “impeccable integrity” to probe into the allegations.

    The PM will undertake a Federal Cabinet meeting today to seek approval for the constitution of the said commission. The PM also assured the judges that his office will be taking strong measures to ensure judiciary’s independence.

  • Full Court meeting called after Shehbaz-Isa meeting

    Full Court meeting called after Shehbaz-Isa meeting

    The Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif met the Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa on Thursday against the backdrop of the bombshell letter written by the six judges of Islamabad High Court (IHC). The meeting lasted about an hour and twenty minutes.

    The letter went into details on what it called ‘interference’ of spy agencies in judicial matters. The PM was accompanied the by Attorney General Pakistan Mansoor Usman and Law Minister Nazir Tarar, while in the chamber, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah accompanied the CJP.

    “PM Shehbaz assured CJP Isa that no compromise will be made on the judiciary’s independence,” said Tarar in a press conference today. After the high-level meeting today, the PM decided to constitute a commission to investigate the allegations levelled by the six judges.

    Tarar further stated “The federal government considered the content of the judges’ letter an extremely serious matter as no one should be allowed to meddle in any institutions’ affairs, and it should be probed.”

    The PM will also take up the matter during a cabinet meeting tomorrow.

    Yesterday, the bar associations of the country and senior legal experts called for a thorough investigation into the contents of the letter and the CJP conducted a full court meeting to discuss the matters at hand.

  • ‘Stop arresting journalists’; Supreme Court orders FIA

    ‘Stop arresting journalists’; Supreme Court orders FIA

    A three-member bench of the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, issued a directive instructing the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to refrain from arresting any journalists until the next hearing of the suo motu case concerning the alleged harassment of media personnel.

    During the hearing, the lawyer for the Press Association of the Supreme Court, Barrister Salahuddin, argued that action was taken against journalists in the name of violation of privacy. The chief justice asked the lawyer how he would define privacy.

    Salahuddin said that the FIA had become accustomed to the misuse of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA). He added that the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had declared PECA’s Section 20 null and void. He replied in negative, when the chief justice asked whether the decision was challenged.

    Chief Justice Isa raised questions about the issuance of notices to journalists under Section 160 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) before the registration of any First Information Report (FIR).

    The chief justice pointed out that many times there was a pressure from the above, so the officials send a notice to ward off the pressure, yet no FIR was registered and no arrest was made. Under this notice, he added, they could call anyone as witness.

    In response, Salahuddin stressed the importance of providing comprehensive details alongside such notices and argued that notices should only be sent after the registration of an FIR. Chief Justice Isa, however, suggested that officials might be reaching out to individuals to ascertain information before proceeding further.

    The court adjourned the hearing until April 2, ordering the FIA to refrain from arresting journalists until then. Chief Justice Isa emphasized that the court would only invalidate legal processes if they were proven illegal, highlighting the need for clarity and adherence to due process in such matters.