The judges themselves have revealed how justice is being strangled and the judicial process is being flouted in the neighboring country of Pakistan.
Six judges of the Islamabad High Court have written a letter alleging that people of the intelligence agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) force them to write wrong decisions through pressure and threats.
These judges have asked the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) to intervene in the matter.
On Tuesday, six out of a total of eight judges of the Islamabad High Court wrote a letter to members of the Supreme Judicial Council, accusing them of kidnapping and torture of their relatives as well as clandestine acts inside their homes, a Dawn report said. There is mention of allegations of monitoring and putting pressure on judges through it.
There has been an uproar in Pakistan after this letter from the judges. There is a demand for investigation into these allegations of judges.
The members of the Supreme Judicial Council, to which the High Court judges have written a letter, include Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faiz Isa, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Muneeb Akhtar of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and Chief Justice Aamir Farooq of the Islamabad High Court and Peshawar High Court. Chief Justice Mohammad Ibrahim Khan is included.
In the letter written to these judges, the High Court judges have also questioned whether there is any government policy to “intimidate” and put pressure on the judges.
The six judges have also supported the demand of former Islamabad High Court judge Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui to investigate allegations of interference by ISI operatives.
This letter written on March 25 is signed by Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, Tariq Mahmood Jahangiri, Babar Sattar, Sardar Ijaz Ishaq Khan, Arbab Muhammad Tahir and Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz.
The Islamabad High Court Bar Association has demanded the Supreme Judicial Council to conduct a “transparent investigation” into the matter and take legal action against those involved.
In a press release, the association said that the body of lawyers holding an emergency meeting has strongly condemned interference by one institution in the affairs of another. The Bar Association has also praised the six judges who wrote the letter for their “courage and bravery”. The association has said that there should be such a system in the country so that the judiciary can ensure independent decisions in accordance with the law and the Constitution without any fear or threat.