Islamabad, July 22
Pakistan’s top court on Sunday said it had begun reviewing statements made by a judge alleging the country’s spy agencies were influencing judicial proceedings, as the powerful military called for an investigation.Pakistan’s July 25 General Election has been hit by accusations of pre-poll rigging with ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) accusing the military of influencing the judiciary to deny it a second term.Islamabad High Court judge Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui accused the country’s premier spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), of interfering in legal cases.“The ISI is fully involved in trying to manipulate the judicial proceedings,” Siddiqui said in a speech to lawyers, adding the agency had told the court not to release Sharif and his daughter Maryam until after the elections.“In order to safeguard the sanctity and credibility of the state institutions, the Supreme Court has been requested to initiate appropriate process to ascertain the veracity of the allegations and take actions accordingly,” the army said. Disqualification of candidates is one of the challenges the former ruling PML-N has faced ahead of the elections. — ReutersCandidate Radesh Singh Tony, the braveRadesh Singh Tony (centre) is the first independent candidate from Pakistan’s Sikh minority to run in conservative, northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The odds are already heavily stacked against Tony in a constituency populated with around 130,000 mostly Muslim registered voters, compared to just 160 Sikhs.His two opponents come from parties backed by hardline religious organisations with links to militant groups. The contest comes just months after local community leader Charanjeet Singh was shot dead. If elected, Tony has vowed to serve all communities, but is still wary of simmering threats. “We are vulnerable targets,” Tony says. “We are campaigning in an atmosphere of fear.” AFP
Pak military denies interference
Statement after Islamabad judge accuses ISI of rigging judiciary
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s military on Sunday denied accusations of stage managing the general elections, calling on the Supreme Court to “initiate appropriate process to ascertain the veracity of the allegations”.
The military’s statement, tweeted out by its chief spokesman Asif Ghafoor, was in response to claims by Islamabad high court judge Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui on Saturday that the ISI was pressurising the judiciary into doing its bidding.
The statement posted by Ghafoor read: “An honourable judge of Islamabad high court of Pakistan has levelled serious allegations against state institutions, including honorary judiciary and the premier state intelligence agency.”
The statement says that “in order to safeguard the sanctity and credibility of the state institutions”, the Supreme Court has been requested to “initiate appropriate process to ascertain the veracity of the allegations and take actions accordingly”.
Earlier on Sunday, Chief Justice Saqib Nisar took “serious notice of a speech delivered by justice Siddiqui… alleging interference of intelligence agencies of the country in judicial matters”. The top judge has also called for complete record of the speech from the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra).
PML-N LEADER JAILED DAYS BEFORE POLLS
A Pakistan anti-narcotics court has jailed for life an important member of deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s PML-N party, just days before the general elections. The move has prompted PML-N activists of accusing the judiciary of working actively on an agenda set by the military to defeat Sharif and his supporters.
In a case dating from 2010, Hanif Abbasi, a close aide of Sharif, was accused of selling 500 kg of a misappropriated quota of ephedrine — used to make methamphetamines — to smugglers. The court, in a judgement issued late on Saturday, said Abbasi failed to defend himself.
Abbasi was a nominee from a Rawalpindi constituency and was up against Awami Muslim League chief Sheikh Rashid. His conviction will likely give Rashid — a politically ally of Imran Khan — a walkover in the constituenc