PM Shehbaz Meets CJP Isa To Address IHC Judges’ Concerns

The meeting, which includes the attorney general and the law minister, is taking place at the Supreme Court, with Justice Mansoor Ali Shah also in attendance.

ISLAMABAD: (UrduPoint/UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News-March 28^th, 2024) Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is currently in a meeting with Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa to address concerns raised by judges of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) regarding alleged interference by the country's intelligence agencies in judicial matters.

The meeting, which includes the attorney general and the law minister, is taking place at the Supreme Court, with Justice Mansoor Ali Shah also in attendance.

This meeting follows a letter from 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—to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC). In the letter, the judges requested a judicial convention to address concerns about alleged interference by executive members, including intelligence agency personnel, in judicial affairs.

The judges also highlighted a lack of guidance in the SJC's code of conduct for judges on how to respond to incidents that threaten judicial independence.

Previously, a full court meeting of the apex court was held in the Federal capital to discuss the judges' letter and seek guidance from the SJC on judges' duties in reporting and responding to attempts by members of the executive to interfere with their official functions.

The matter garnered significant attention, with bar associations from various provinces and senior lawyers calling for an investigation into the letter's contents, suggesting potential serious implications for the judiciary.