Prime Minister Sharif demands industrial status for Pakistan’s gemstone sector

“It takes two to tango,” says Punjab’s top judge amid judiciary split with Pakistani army

ISLAMABAD: Lahore High Court Chief Justice Shehzad Malik said on Friday that the judiciary was not willing to fight any institution, even as he noted that “it takes two to tango” amid a rift between the judiciary and the country’s powerful military that has led to a ban on media reporting on the cases judicial.

In the past, Pakistan’s judiciary has been criticized for playing a muted role in dealing with the military by acknowledging an apparent power grab. However, earlier this year, six of the eight judges of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) openly accused the country’s top spy agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), of intimidating them in order to influence judicial decisions on politically sensitive cases.

The IHC also criticized intelligence agencies and questioned their mandate in the case relating to the disappearance of Kashmiri poet Ahmad Farhad after his family accused the ISI of abducting him from his Islamabad residence over his social media posts critical of Pakistan’s powerful army.

The Pakistani army has often denied such allegations, saying it remains apolitical and does not want to interfere in politics.

“We do not want any fight with any bar (association), any institution or government, but it takes two to tango,” Justice Malik said at a ceremony at the Punjab Judicial Academy.

He noted that the government will be respected as long as the courts are respected.

He lamented the “law of the jungle” prevailing in the country, claiming that people had been deprived of their constitutional rights.

“Article 4 and 9 say that every Pakistani has the right to legal protection, but this right has been denied,” he added.

Pakistan’s media regulator this week suspended broadcasting news, opinions and commentary related to ongoing court cases amid rising institutional tensions.

However, journalists’ associations working with the Supreme Court of Pakistan and the IHC rejected the directive, saying it violated the country’s constitution.