"Establishment's interference in judiciary will end soon": Lahore High Court Chief Justice
Jun 15, 2024
Islamabad [Pakistan], June 15 : Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice Malik Shehzad Ahmed Khan said on Friday that he expects the establishment's intervention in judicial matters will end soon.
"Interference in the judiciary will have to be fought with faith that it will come to an end," said the LHC chief justice while addressing the opening ceremony of the judicial complex e-courts in Rawalpindi, according to ARY News.
Justice Khan stated that there was an issue with the establishment interfering in judicial matters, and that they received letters asserting involvement in judicial concerns.
"The establishment's interference in the judiciary will end and my experience [tells me] that it will come to an end," said the judge.
The LHC chief judge expressed satisfaction that the judiciary is "fulfilling its responsibilities without fear or greed." The Chief Justice's remarks came after six Islamabad High Court (IHC) judges addressed a letter to the Supreme Court on March 25, accusing intelligence agencies of interfering with judicial affairs, reported ARY News.
The IHC judges had asked Pakistan's Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa to convene a judicial convention to investigate suspected intervention by intelligence operatives in judicial responsibilities or "intimidation" of judges in a way that endangered the judiciary's independence.
"Three generations [of a family] wait for verdicts and it [sometimes] take 30 years," he lamented, as he spoke about the delay in verdicts of cases being the biggest problem.
The LHC chief justice stated that legal difficulties were also addressed in the context of e-courts, and that absconders will not be permitted to appear via video link. The LHC CJ also cited attorneys as the primary cause of litigation delays.
