No attempt made to pressurise Sindh judiciary: SHC CJ

KARACHI: Commenting on alleged “interference and pressure” on the judiciary, Sindh High Court (SHC) Chief Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi on Saturday “categorically” stated that nobody had pressurised him about any case.

“Some attempts were made but no one coerced me,” said the SHC chief justice while talking to the media in Karachi. He said this in response to a question asked by a journalist to him.

However, Justice Abbasi clarified that a couple of times such efforts were made, which were right away dispelled and later they turned out to be a misunderstanding. He said no attempt had been made to pressurize Sindh’s judiciary in any case. He said the judiciary’s independence was reflected through its judgments. He believed that a judge could not be dishonest or corrupt.

The SHC CJ said transfer of election tribunal’s judge was a normal procedure. The system of judges’ transfer was extremely complex, he said.

The SHC CJ statement comes a day after Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice Malik Shehzad Ahmed Khan said he believed that interference of establishment in the matters of judiciary will end soon. “Interference in the judiciary will have to be fought with faith that it will come to an end,” said the LHC chief justice while addressing the opening ceremony of the judicial complex e-courts in Rawalpindi. “The establishment’s interference in judiciary will end and my experience [tells me] that it will come to an end,” said the judge.

Earlier, six Islamabad High Court (IHC) judges wrote a letter to the Supreme Court on March 25, accusing spy agencies of meddling in judicial affairs. The IHC judges had demanded Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa to convene the judicial commission to consider the matter of alleged interference of intelligence operatives in judicial functions or “intimidation” of judges in a manner that undermined the independence of judiciary.