Attorney General denies allegations of any interference in judicial matters

ISLAMABAD: Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Usman Awan on Tuesday rejected allegations of interference in judicial matters by the government or any other state body.

According to details, Awan’s remarks came shortly after the IHC re-heard contempt petitions related to the character assassination of Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani and the leak of personal details of Justice Babar Sattar.

Separately today, Islamabad High Court (IHC) judge Justice Babar Sattar once again raised the alleged interference of the intelligence apparatus in the judicial process.

In a letter to IHC Chief Justice Aamir Farooq today, Sattar claimed that he was asked to withdraw from the audio leaks case.

Justice Sattar alleged that he received a message from a top official of the security establishment to drop the case.

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“In the audio leak case, I was given a message to stand back. I was told to stand back from checking the surveillance system, but I paid no heed to such threats,” the letter reads.

This case is related to the petitions filed last year against the alleged audio leaks by former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, and former Chief Justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar’s son, Najam Saqib.

Judges’ letter

In April, senior IHC judges, including Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, Justice Baqir Sattar, Justice Sardar Ijaz Ishaq Khan, Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir, and Justice Salman Rifat Imtiaz, wrote to the SJC after the Supreme Court. March 22 court decision on Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui’s dismissal case.

The letter seeks guidance from the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) that it is the duty of a judge to report and respond to the actions taken by members of the executive, including officials of intelligence agencies, who want to interfere in the discharge of their official duties and fall under the category of intimidation.