In a press conference held yesterday, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) voiced its dissatisfaction with Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa’s handling of Supreme Court proceedings regarding allegations of intelligence agency interference in judicial matters. PTI central information secretary Raoof Hasan, flanked by former Gilgit-Baltistan chief minister Khalid Khursheed and PTI core committee member Advocate Abuzar Salman Niazi, reiterated the party’s demand for a full-court hearing on a daily basis.
However, they emphasised the need for CJP Isa to disassociate himself from the bench.
Hasan accused the CJP of diverging from the collective stance of the judiciary, claiming that while the entire judiciary stood united on one side, the CJP appeared to be on the other. The issue of meddling in judicial affairs, Hasan emphasised, was of grave concern.
He criticised the recent Supreme Court proceedings, describing them as a “spectacle” and referred to the letter from six high court judges urging the CJP to address the meddling issue through the Supreme Judicial Council. Instead, the CJP directed the matter to the executive, tasking Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif with forming a commission to investigate.
The PTI representative condemned the decision to entrust the commission’s formation to individuals implicated in the matter, labelling it as “a crime”. Hasan stressed that punitive measures against those meddling in judicial affairs were imperative to curb such practices. Despite the CJP’s assertion that there had been no interference in judiciary during his tenure, Hasan argued that the public was well aware of the contrary.
Describing the judges’ letter and the responses from high courts as an “indictment”, Hasan criticised the CJP for not adhering to constitutional procedures in handling the matter. He accused the CJP of adopting an adversarial stance against the judiciary, despite unity among other judges.
Hasan urged for tangible measures to safeguard against interference but questioned the CJP’s alignment, particularly in light of suggestions from the Peshawar and Lahore high courts.
