ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Lahore High Court Malik Shahzad Ahmad on Friday urged his colleagues not to succumb to external pressure while carrying out professional responsibilities, saying he was hopeful for an end to the establishment’s interference in the judicial matters in the future.
Addressing a district bar association event in Rawalpindi, he said he was not going to name the state institutions involved in such meddling. However, six out of eight Islamabad High Court (IHC) judges accused the country’s premier spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), of seeking to influence their decisions through intimidation and coercion earlier this year.
The IHC judges raised the matter in a letter to the Supreme Judicial Council, demanding institutional consultation over the issue and pointing out that such interference undermined the independence of judiciary. The letter also mentioned incidents where the relatives of a judge were abducted and tortured and their homes were secretly surveilled.
“You have to look them in the eyes and face them,” Justice Ahmed told the gathering. “You don’t have to be a victim of their blackmailing.”
He maintained such written and oral complaints related to the interference by government institutions had become a regular feature.
Expressing his happiness over the judiciary performing its functions without any fear, the LHC chief justice told the subordinate judges to stand tall in the face of the threats hurled at them.
“Don’t shy away if you have to render any kind of sacrifice in this regard,” he said. “This is the spirit needed and I am proud of my district judiciary.”
He maintained the main problem facing the judiciary related to the interference by the establishment, a euphemism for Pakistan’s powerful defense and security institutions, calling it a “curse, bad luck and misfortune” for the country.
While the judiciary has started asserting itself in the face of such accusations in recent weeks, the country’s security institutions have remained silent, as the Supreme Court of Pakistan conducts hearings into the issue.
Justice Ahmad summoned Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) Usman Anwar and other officials earlier this week on a complaint by a sitting judge of an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Sargodha, alleging harassment by the intelligence and law enforcement agencies.
These officials told the court they were probing threats to the ATC judge.
The top LHC judge also urged the Pakistani lawmakers to play their due role to strengthen democracy in the country.
