PTI terms action on IHC judges’ letter an attempt to shelve the matter

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Friday termed the action taken so far on the letter of the judges of the Islamabad High Court as a deliberate attempt to put the matter in cold storage.

“The letter of six judges of the Islamabad High Court is a very sensitive and serious matter. The steps taken so far by the Chief Justice of Pakistan on the issue are inadequate, ineffective and very dangerous for the future of the judiciary,” a PTI spokesman said.

“Instead of taking any serious action on the core issue raised by six judges of the Islamabad High Court in their letter, the chief justice tried to negate it in his sermon,” he said.

The PTI spokesman added that the illegal interference of intelligence officials in the functions of state institutions, especially in the judiciary and administration, is opening the doors of destruction for the country and the nation.

“The interference of intelligence agencies is digging the grave of democracy in Pakistan through open insult to the people’s mandate, which Rawalpindi commissioner testified in front of the whole world,” he contended.

He recalled PTI boycotted the 2008 general elections for the independence of the judiciary, while hundreds of workers, including Founder Chairman Imran Khan, suffered imprisonment.

The founder chairman and PTI, he pointed out, are making endless sacrifices for the independence of the judiciary and the rule of law in the country. In his letter to the Chief Justice of Pakistan from jail, the PTI’s founder chairman has also stressed the need for him to take effective steps on the matter, he said.

“The nation is not satisfied with the overall conduct of the Chief Justice of Pakistan and the action taken so far on the letter of the judges,” he said.

Instead of three, five and seven-member benches, he stressed, the formation of at least a full court is a basic requirement on this serious issue as it is related to the independence of the judiciary and the provision of justice to the citizens.

He said the chief justice should take serious steps keeping in mind his official duties, Constitution and interests of the judiciary instead of giving sermons on serious and sensitive issues.

Meanwhile, the PTI strongly condemned the court order to bar Imran Khan and his wife from expressing their views in Adiala jail.

“The courts are bound by the Constitution and the law, they should take care of constitutional rights while passing decisions,” the spokesman said.

“Issuing an order regarding PTI’s Founder Chairman Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi without any application or any fair judicial process amounts to abuse of authority,” he charged.

Courts, he insisted, have no legal right to impose unreasonable restrictions on the fundamental rights guaranteed in the Constitution or deprive citizens of them.

Imran Khan and his wife are already deprived of their fundamental constitutional right to a fair trial, he said.

“Restrictions on their cases and discussions on the country’s political situation will deprive them of their fundamental constitutional right to freedom of expression,” the PTI spokesman said.

Respected judge, he contended, should focus on conducting the trial in accordance with the law instead of stopping journalists from objective reporting.

He said the court’s credibility will be at stake with the help of state officials who are on the path of lawlessness due to the detention of Chairman Imran Khan and his wife, who have been victims of the worst revenge. “We are reviewing the court order, challenging it in the higher court and taking all possible remedies available under the law,” he maintained.