Addressing the IHC judge, Faisal Vawda said during a press conference in Islamabad, “Now the evidence of the allegations has to be given. I am a senator, if I do not get an answer, what will the common man get. Only accusations are not enough, you will have to give evidence of interference. Tell who interfered in your judicial affairs. Bring evidence of interference, we stand with you.”
He said that the focus of the malicious campaign in audio leak cases was an intimidation tactic to influence judicial proceedings.
He added that time was ripe for Justice Sattar to prove his allegations with solid evidence or the issue would turn 'vague and complicated'.
He said that lack of proof would raise several questions on the credibility of the judges. He added that the IHC judge, prior to his elevation to the IHC, informed then IHC Chief Justice Atthar Minallah about judicial interference and questioned why it was not brought to the public at that time.
He also demanded that Justice Sattar should provide evidence of the document sent to the IHC CJ citing judicial meddling.
Addressing the IHC justice, he said, “Article 19 of the Constitution, every Pakistani has the right to seek details of information. I, as a senator, seek details from you.”
On Tuesday, Justice Babar Sattar allegedly wrote another letter to IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq regarding "meddling" by the secularity establishment in judicial affairs.
In the letter, Justice Sattar alleged that through messages on behalf of top officials in the security establishment, he was asked to "back-off" from extensive scrutiny of the existence and mode of surveillance in the audio leak case.
However, Justice Sattar informed the IHC CJ that he did not pay any attention to the “threatening tactic”, as per the sources.
The letter says, "I paid no heed to such intimidatory tactics and did not find that such messages created a risk of substantial detriment to the administering of justice."
Justice Sattar maintained that the court had issued notices to intelligence and probe agencies, concerned ministries, regulatory bodies, FIA, PTA, Pemra and others.
Justice Sattar was among the six judges who had written a letter in March 2024 to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) seeking its guidance on “interference” of the intelligence agencies in the judicial affairs.
The IHC judge wrote this letter to the chief justice reporting the "incident of meddling" in line with the IHC’s recommendations to deter interference in the judicial affaris.
In compliance with the Supreme Court’s April 3 order, the IHC judges had taken a unanimous stance proposing a “contempt proceeding” against any meddling in judicial affairs.
It had also been decided that the judges would inform the inspection judge about the alleged meddling and the inspection judge would bring the issue to the knowledge of the chief justice of the high court concerned. “A judge who will not report the alleged meddling within seven days should be considered guilty of misconduct,” it had been decided.
On March 24, a full court meeting of the Supreme Court deliberated on the letter written by the six Islamabad High Court (IHC) judges against alleged interference of spy agencies in judicial functions.
The letter demanded a judicial convention over the alleged interference of members of the executive, including operatives of intelligence agencies, in judicial affairs.
Besides Justice Babar Sattar, the IHC judges - who wrote the letter to the SJC – are Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kiyani, Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan, Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir, and Justice Saman Fafat Imtiaz.
