Attorney general denies allegations of interference in judicial affairs

Pakistan’s Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan rejected on Tuesday allegations that the government or any other state institution interfered with judicial proceedings, Aaj News reported.

During a press conference in the capital, Awan said that the judges’ recent letter has created the impression that judicial matters are being interfered with.

“As far as I know, no officer of the security establishment has directly contacted any judge or interfered in judicial matters,” the attorney general stated.

The contact was conducted via the attorney general’s Office due to the delicate nature of the subject matter, which involved security issues, he said.

In March, IHC judges including Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, Justice Tariq Mahmood Jahangiri, Justice Babar Sattar, Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan, Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir, and Justice Saman Raffat Imtiaz wrote a letter to Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) seeking guidance on the interference of intelligent agencies in judicial functions.

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Later, the Supreme Court took suo motu on a letter of the IHC judges of interference and intimidation by the operatives of intelligence agencies in judicial work.

To discuss the issue, the Lahore High Court and IHC also held Full Court meetings in their respective courts. The IHC judges unanimously decided to give an institutional response in case of any such meddling in their judicial work in the future.

According to the attorney general’s presser today, Pakistan has been facing issues for the past 45 years that require communication between different institutions.

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He explained the government’s position on the letter, saying that we have asked the judiciary for surveillance-related briefings to be conducted in-camera.

Awan stressed that this can not be considered an interference with court proceedings.

He clarified that the states have certain sensitive issues that are not appropriate for public discussion.

He emphasized, “I don’t think the government or any institution can interfere with the judiciary’s constitutional work.”

I would like the media to examine the letter that is available on social media in order to determine what is impeding the judicial process, Awan said.