'ISI meddling': Could judicial letter spark a movement against the Pakistan military?
Pakistan's Supreme Court announced on Monday its intention to investigate accusations of meddling by the nation's intelligence agencies in judicial matters, as detailed in a notable letter from six high court judges.
This development, following considerable public uproar and criticism, marks a potential pivotal moment in the civil-military dynamics within the country.
Driving the news:
The backdrop of this controversy is steeped in the long-standing tension between Pakistan’s judiciary and its powerful military establishment. On March 26, six judges from the Islamabad High Court (IHC) made an unprecedented move by writing a letter to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), expressing worries about what they termed as «blatant interference» by the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Pakistan's leading military intelligence agency, in legal affairs. This exceptional action revealed the underlying tensions within the judiciary regarding the military's impact on legal proceedings.
The six judges who signed the March 25 dated letter include Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, Justice Babar Sattar, Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan, Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir, and Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf rejects commission on IHC judges' letter, calls for judicial probe
In their letter, the judges detailed several instances of alleged interference, including pressure on judges through abduction and torture
