SC must take action as it’s not a letter but a charge-sheet: Gohar

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership Wednesday said the judges letter is a charge-sheet against administrative affairs of Pakistan and “we condemn interference in the judiciary”.

Addressing a press conference, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said the party had been talking about interference in the judiciary for two years and that Allah Almighty also gave courage to judges to write about it.

He demanded that the Supreme Court (SC) should constitute a larger bench, similar to the one constituted in the Zulfikar Ali Bhutto reference, in all cases framed against the PTI founding chairman Imran Khan to ascertain as to why trial of cases against him were conducted on a war footing to unjustly sentence him, as they were even not given the right to cross-examine.

“There has been interference in the Islamabad High Court and judiciary at large; we strongly condemn the interference. Every judge has been put under pressure,” he noted.

The PTI chairman said, “We had also brought Tyrian’s case before the media. Six judges of the Islamabad High Court have been affected by pressure and one of the judges said that he does not know where his children are and a judge said that his son’s marriage was delayed.”

Gohar demanded protection of judges who have written the letter and their families. He demanded the matter of interference should be investigated by the judicial commission and the Supreme Court should investigate it in full open court. “It is written in paragraph 5 of the letter that interference has happened and is happening; this was the achievement of PDM government. The PDM government made 200 cases against the PTI founder, who should be released immediately. All decisions against him have been made under pressure,” he added.

The PTI chairman requested lawyers, all bar councils and associations to rise above their political differences and come together for independence of the judiciary. Gohar said, “Politics is silent today. We stand in solidarity with the judiciary”.

He said judges had been intimidated and coerced into giving judgments based on political expediency, and that raised a lot of questions about fairness of the courts and their judgments over the last two years.

PTI Secretary General Omar Ayub said the Supreme Judicial Council consisted of two senior judges of the SC, including the chief justice, chief justice of Islamabad High Court and two other high court chief justices and the letter was a turning point for the judiciary of Pakistan.

“It is clearly written in this letter that former prime minister Imran Khan was the target of interference and pressure on judges,” he noted. He said the letter had completely exposed the system, which proved that there was no existence of the rule of law in the country.

Omar Ayub said every judge had been brought under pressure, which had only one purpose, which was stated in the letter that interference had been done in politically motivated cases.

He said through the intervention, Imran Khan was given three sentences in five days and through pressure on the judges, he was given such punishments in which the right to present evidence was not given and instead of hearing the arguments, verdict was pronounced.

Omar Ayub said the matter would be raised at every forum, including the National and provincial assemblies and Senate. He made it clear that the country could not progress unless every institution performed its duties within the framework of the Constitution and law.

“We are standing at the crossroads at this juncture. It has to be determined as it is not only the issue of the rights of PTI founder or the party but of every Pakistani citizen,” he added.

He regretted to have had not been allowed to meet Imran Khan in Adiala Jail despite a court order. Omar Ayub said he made seven attempts to meet Imran Khan but the ‘corrupt jail superintendent’ denied his meeting by not obeying the court orders.

“I will initiate contempt of court proceedings against him in addition to hauling him up before the Privileges Committee of the National Assembly,” he announced.