IHC judges\u2019 allegations
\nCabinet discusses Besham terror attack, orders report submission in three days
\n ISLAMABAD
\nThe federal cabinet on Saturday \u201capproved\u201d constitution of an inquiry commission over allegations of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) judges and appointed former chief justice of Pakistan Justice (retired) Tassaduq Jillani as its head.
\nThe sources said the one-member commission would hold inquiry into the allegations levelled by the judges in a letter.
\nThe inquiry commission would submit its report in 60 days, the sources said.
\nThey said officials of bureaucracy and other irrelevant persons were requested to leave the room when the matter of the letter came under discussion in the cabinet meeting. The cabinet members gave the right to appoint the commission\u2019s head to the PM expressing full support for whoever he appoints.
\nIn response to the letter, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa had on March 28 said that meddling by the executive in the affairs and \u201cjudicial workings of Judges will not be tolerated\u201d come what may.
\nHe had said this during a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at the Supreme Court in Islamabad. The chief justice and PM had agreed in the meeting to form an inquiry commission.
\nThe letter came days after the top court declared the removal of former IHC Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui illegal, directing that he may now be considered as a retired judge.
\n\u201cConsidering the gravity of the allegations levelled in the said letter, the CJP called a meeting on the same day with the Chief Justice and all the Judges of the Islamabad High Court after Iftar at 8 pm at the Chief Justice\u2019s residence,\u201d the top court said in the statement on March 28.
\nIt said the concerns of all the judges were heard individually in a meeting that lasted for over two and a half hours.
\nOn March 27, the CJP met Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan and Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar and thereafter the CJP along with Senior Puisne Judge Mansoor Ali Shah met with the president of the Supreme Court Bar Association and the senior most member of the Pakistan Bar Council present in Islamabad, as per the SC statement.
\nThe full court meeting of all the judges of the Supreme Court was called under the chairmanship of CJP at 4pm the same day and the huddle deliberated over the issues raised in the letter sent by the six judges of the Islamabad High Court.
\n\u201cA consensus was developed amongst the majority of the members of the Full Court that in view of the gravity of the situation, the CJP may hold a meeting with the Prime Minister of Pakistan on the issues raised in the said letter and the meeting was adjourned.\u201d
\nSubsequently, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif accompanied by the law minister and the AGP met with the CJP, senior puisne judge and registrar of the Supreme Court at the apex court at 2pm on March 28.
\nThe meeting lasted for about an hour and a half wherein the CJP \u201cclearly stated that interference by the Executive in the affairs and judicial workings of Judges will not be tolerated and under no circumstances can independence of the judiciary be allowed to be compromised\u201d.
\nDuring the meeting a proposal was made to constitute an inquiry commission under the Pakistan Commissions of Inquiry Act, 2017 which should be headed by a retired judge of \u201cimpeccable integrity\u201d to inquire into the matter, as per the statement.
\nThe statement further said that PM Shehbaz undertook that a meeting of the federal cabinet will be called to seek their approval for the constitution of the said commission.
\nIt said the premier fully endorsed the views expressed by CJP Isa and Senior Puisne Judge Shah.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
IHC judges\u2019 allegations Cabinet discusses Besham terror attack, orders report submission in three days ISLAMABAD The federal cabinet on Saturday \u201capproved\u201d constitution of an inquiry commission over allegations of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) judges and appointed former chief justice of Pakistan Justice (retired) Tassaduq Jillani as its head. The sources said the one-member commission […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":397406,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-397394","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n