IT can’t get more sordid than this. The judges of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) who dared to speak out against the interference of intelligence agencies in judicial matters are now the target of a sleazy campaign questioning their integrity. It’s not hard to fathom who is behind this character assassination drive. The deep state, it seems, has struck to silence resistance. But that may not be so easy with the bench and the bar rallying behind upright judges.
It all started with trolling on social media, particularly of two of the six IHC judges who had earlier this year penned a letter to the Supreme Court chief justice, detailing the harassment that they had allegedly experienced at the hands of the intelligence agencies. Then complaints were filed by some obscure persons against two of the judges — Justice Babar Sattar and Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri — in the Supreme Judicial Council on fabricated charges.
It is apparent that the move was meant to pressurise the two who are hearing politically sensitive cases. Lately, questions were also being raised about Justice Jahangiri’s law degree. The judge is heading an election tribunal in Islamabad. Nothing could be more preposterous than such suspicions being levelled at a high court judge who has previously served as advocate general. The timing makes the allegations more dubious, with the judge hearing appeals against the election of PML-N MNAs.
There seems to be no cessation of the harassment of judges by the establishment.
Similarly, Justice Sattar has been........