Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi is quickly making it clear that he won’t allow government agencies to interfere with the judiciary, unlike the previous chief justice.
After taking office, CJP Afridi met with six judges from the Islamabad High Court (IHC) who had written to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) expressing concerns about government interference. Instead of giving direct help, the Supreme Court, under the previous chief justice, had wanted to discuss the situation with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who agreed to form a commission to look into the judges’ claims. However, the proposed head of this commission, former CJP Tassaduq Hussain Jillani, declined to take part, and the Supreme Court then began its own proceedings based on the judges’ letter.
During these proceedings, judges from both the Lahore High Court (LHC) and the Peshawar High Court (PHC) acknowledged that interference by agencies is a well-known issue. The LHC also raised concerns about two anti-terrorism court judges who may have faced harassment, with their reports sent to the Supreme Court for review.
CJP Afridi, who has stepped back from the bench handling this case, stressed that the concerns from judges must follow the SJC’s code of conduct and insisted that high courts must remain independent as per the Constitution. He stated, “High courts are independent courts under the Constitution.”
However, the Supreme Court has not moved forward with the hearing in five months. Meanwhile, the six IHC judges have been subject to defamation and claims of misconduct. Afridi’s meeting with them is seen as very important.
Legal experts believe that Afridi will handle any interference from the government much better than his predecessor. A senior government official also mentioned that he is focused on maintaining the balance of power, ensuring that the judiciary does not interfere with other branches and vice versa.
CJP Afridi has scheduled a meeting of the SJC on November 8, but the topics for discussion are unknown. Some misconduct complaints against various judges are pending in the SJC as well.
CJP Afridi has also organized a meeting of administrative judges from anti-terrorism courts for November 7 to discuss ongoing trial delays involving PTI workers.
A senior lawyer who knows Afridi shared confidence in his ability to unify the judiciary and protect judges from outside influence, stating, “Judges will be protected, and there will be no interference in the high courts.”
Currently, the judiciary is under significant pressure from government authorities, especially concerning the proposed 26th Constitutional Amendment and discussions about expanding the number of Supreme Court judges from 17 to 25. While some senators disagreed, most members of the Senate Standing Committee on Law and Justice supported the proposal.
