IHC urged to form probe commission

Author: Agencies

A plea has been submitted in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) seeking the formation of a commission to investigate an audio leak allegedly involving former chief justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar and other allegations against the judiciary, a private TV channel reported on Saturday.

The petition has been filed by Sindh High Court Bar Association (SHCBA) President Salahuddin Ahmed and member judicial commission Syed Haider Imam Rizvi. The federal law secretary and secretaries of all the four provinces – Punjab, Balochistan, Sindh, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa – have been made parties in the case.

In the petition, Ahmed and Rizvi said after the audio leak, a perception was created that the judiciary appears to operate “under pressure from external powers”. Therefore, it is crucial to determine whether the audiotape is authentic or not. “The audiotape has damaged the judiciary’s integrity and raised important questions over the judiciary’s independence. It is important to revive the people’s trust in an independent and non-partisan judiciary,” the plea said.

The plea said that an independent commission, comprising well-respected retired judges, lawyers, journalists, and civil society members, should be set up to probe allegations against the judiciary as well as the leaked audiotape.

Last week, an audiotape allegedly featuring Nisar was leaked in which the ex-CJP purportedly told another person that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz would have to be punished to make space for Prime Minister Imran Khan in politics. Soon after the audio clip was released, Nisar denied its authenticity.

In the audio clip, he could allegedly be heard saying that even though there are no cases against Maryam Nawaz, she would still have to be punished. In a detailed press conference on Wednesday, Maryam demanded answers from the former chief justice, asking him to come forth and tell the nation who “pressured” him and whom it was that he “could not refuse” regarding her conviction and that of her father in the Avenfield apartments reference.