ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s federal cabinet on Saturday approved the formation of an inquiry commission on a letter written by six Islamabad High Court (IHC) judges wherein they complained about intelligence agencies’ meddling in judicial affairs, appointing former Chief Justice of Pakistan Tassaduq Hussain Jillani as its head.

The six judges, out of a total IHC strength of eight, had sent a written complaint to the Supreme Judicial Council this week to hold a convention on how the country’s intelligence agencies had been putting judges under pressure and coercing them to issue desired verdicts.

These judges provided various examples of the alleged interference. This included a case concerning former prime minister Imran Khan, saying when two of the three judges on the bench deemed the plea to disqualify him for allegedly concealing his paternity of a daughter as not maintainable, they faced pressure from the operatives of Inter-Services Intelligence through their friends and relatives.

The federal cabinet was informed during the meeting the formation of an inquiry commission was proposed during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s interaction with Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa over the issue.

“The federal cabinet approved the terms of reference (TORs) for the inquiry commission,” said an official handout circulated after the meeting. “According to the TORs, the inquiry commission will thoroughly investigate the allegations made in the letter of the honorable judges and determine their accuracy.”

“The commission will ascertain if any official was directly involved in the interference,” it continued. “Based on the facts uncovered in its investigation, the commission will recommend actions against any agency, department or government institution. The commission will also have the authority to investigate any other matter during the inquiry if deemed necessary.”

The official statement mentioned the appointment of the former Pakistan chief justice Jillani, adding the cabinet meeting denied the allegation of executive interference mentioned in the letter and deemed it inappropriate.

“The unanimous opinion of the cabinet members was that they firmly believe in the principle of the division of powers among the three state institutions as established by the 1973 constitution of Pakistan,” it added.

The prime minister also reiterated his commitment to the independence of the judiciary, taking the cabinet into confidence about his consultations and meeting with Chief Justice Isa following the letter.