Pakistan: Lahore High Court directs PMO to bar agencies from contacting any judge

Justice Shahid Karim issued the directions in a written order on a complaint filed by an anti-terrorism court (ATC) judge in Sargodha against harassment after he allegedly refused to meet officials of an intelligence agency

Lahore High Court (LHC) has directed the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) to issue instructions to all civil and military agencies, including the Pakisttan's Intelligence Bureau and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), against contacting or approaching "any judge" or member of their staff, Dawn reported on Saturday Justice Shahid Karim issued the directions on a complaint filed by an anti-terrorism court (ATC) judge in Sargodha against harassment after he allegedly refused to meet officials of an intelligence agency, the Pakistan daily reported, citing a High Court order.

Karim said, "Instructions shall go out by the Prime Minister's Office to all civil or military agencies, including the Intelligence Bureau as well as Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), regarding strict directions not to approach or contact any judge, whether of the superior judiciary subordinate judiciary or any member of their staff in future." Similar directions were also issued for the Pakistani Punjab police, stating that measures regarding the security of ATCs across Punjab would be put in place and to download call-recording applications on their mobile phones, Dawn reported.

"[They] shall be bound to record all such calls which they receive and with regard to which the learned judges have apprehension that they have been made to influence any judicial proceedings before them," he said. The complaint of the Sargodha ATC judge pertained to his first day as in charge on June 7, when he was told that "some authority of ISI" wanted to meet him in his chamber. After the judge denied the request, there were a series of harassment cases targeted at his family, including damages to his gas metre and a manipulated electricity bill, Dawn reported.

Earlier, on May 7, Pakistan's apex court justice, Jamal Khan Mandokhail, said that the government was not doing anything regarding the alleged interference in judicial matters, Pakistan's Geo News reported. (ANI)

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