ISI 'meddling' in judicial affairs

Islamabad High Court (IHC) judge Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui yesterday made serious allegations against personnel of a security agency, claiming that they were manipulating judicial proceedings.

He also claimed the agencies approached the IHC chief justice to ensure Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz remained behind bars for the elections.

"In today's era, the ISI is fully involved in manipulating judicial proceedings," Justice Siddiqui alleged, in a speech delivered before the Rawalpindi District Bar Association. "Their personnel get benches formed at their will."

While he alluded to agency interference in judicial matters, he did not provide evidence during his speech to support his claims.

He also claimed that the agency approached the IHC chief justice Muhammad Anwar Khan Kasi and said: "'We do not want to let Nawaz Sharif and his daughter come out [of the prison] until elections, do not include Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui on the bench (hearing Sharifs' appeals)."

He alleged that the judiciary's freedom has been divested and that it is now in control of "those with guns".

Justice Siddiqui also put the blame on the judiciary for the current situation in Pakistan.