ISLAMABAD – Pakistan’s former Chief Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani distanced himself from a commission formed to probe Islamabad High Court judge’s letter over interference of intelligence agencies.
Jillani recused himself from the single-member commission as the Supreme Court of Pakistan took suo-motu notice of the letter by the senior judges.
In his letter to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the former Chief Justice said high court judges approached the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), which itself was constitutional body.
He mentioned going through letter of the IHC judges and said it would be violative of judicial propriety for him to inquire into matter that may fall within the jurisdiction of a constitutional body which is the supreme judicial council or the Supreme Court of Pakistan itself.
He further lamented Terms of Reference (TORs) of commission, stating them irrelevant to the case. He however stressed the importance of institutional consultation in addressing such matters effectively.
Last week, the federal government picked ec-CJP Jillani to investigate the letter of six judges from Islamabad High Court regarding interference on the part of intelligence agencies in judicial decisions. The cabinet members rejected accusations from Islamabad High Court (IHC) judges about interference from the executive branch. They unanimously expressed their commitment to the principle of decentralization of powers within state institutions.
