The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has been instructed by the Lahore High Court (LHC) to urge all military and civilian agencies, such as the Intelligence Bureau and Inter-Services Intelligence, not to approach or communicate with “any judge” or member of their staff.
In response to a complaint made by an anti-terrorism court (ATC) judge in Sargodha regarding harassment after he allegedly refused to meet with intelligence agency officials, Justice Shahid Karim issued the instructions in a written order that surfaced on Saturday.
On the basis of the judge’s complaint filed with the registrar, former Chief Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan took a suo motu notice and initiated proceedings. After being elevated to the Supreme Court, Justice Karim oversaw the matter.
Justice Karim had stated during the prior hearing that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was accountable for the conduct of intelligence services that were under his direction.
The judge stated that it was “imperative” to move forward on a few issues that “regularly come before this court” and about which “directions are necessary to be issued in order to protect the independence of the judiciary” in a written order dated June 27. A copy of the order is available through Dawn.com.
The Prime Minister’s Office will then issue the following order, directing all civil and military agencies—including the Intelligence Bureau and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI)—to strictly refrain from approaching or contacting judges, members of lower courts, or staff members in the future.
The Punjab police were also given similar instructions.
The written order said, “In the same way, all police officers shall receive instructions from the Inspector General of Police, Punjab, not to speak with any judge of the superior or subordinate judiciaries directly regarding the merits of any pending judicial proceedings before these courts.”
It warned that if the order was broken, the inspector general and police chief would be “held personally responsible” and could face contempt charges. It stated that any security measures pertaining to ATCs throughout Punjab would only be implemented “with the consultation and concurrence of the learned judge of that court and not otherwise.”
Additionally, Justice Karim gave Punjabi ATC judges the order to download call recording apps to their phones. “They are required to document every call they receive, and the learned judges are concerned that they are being used to sway any legal proceedings that are in front of them,” he stated.
“The judges of ATCs throughout Punjab are directed to handle and resolve the cases pertaining to May 9, 2023, as soon as possible and with priority,” the order stated.
The Sargodha ATC judge and court employees were also ordered by the court to assist with the probe. “All investigative proceedings ought to be captured on camera, and the police will preserve the record in addition to submitting it to this court via the registrar,” the statement stated.
The order concluded with a postponement of the proceedings until July 8.
A complaint
The Sargodha ATC judge lodged a complaint on June 7, his first day of office, claiming he was informed that “some authority of ISI” wanted to meet with him in his chamber.
The judge stated that he turned down the request right away.
Following that, he detailed other instances of abuse directed towards his family, including harm to the gas meter outside his official apartment in Bahawalpur, where he was stationed before to being transferred to Sargodha.
Additionally, he said that his family had received an exaggerated electricity bill for the previous month, which was clearly a fake. It is possible that the power utility business and intelligence agency personnel colluded to send the bill, and this cannot be completely ruled out. The judge stated that some unidentified males had also “teased” his family members regarding his personal details.
