Pakistan’s Chief Justice asserts that no institutions, including ECP, are autonomous, in response to Absar Alam’s ‘media coercion’ note.

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Chief Justice Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa has rejected the government’s fact-finding committee on the 2017 Faizabad sit-in, stating that all institutions, including the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), are not independent. The committee was formed to ensure compliance with the Supreme Court’s 2019 judgement on the sit-in. A three-member bench, including Justice Aminuddin Khan and Justice Athar Minallah, resumed hearing review petitions against the 2019 verdict. Justice Isa’s previous judgement had instructed the defence ministry and tri-services chiefs to penalise personnel who violated their oath and directed the federal government to monitor and prosecute those advocating hate, extremism, and terrorism. Several government departments were criticized for causing inconvenience during the sit-in. Most of the petitioners, including the government and the PTI, withdrew their pleas, prompting the CJP to question why everyone was afraid to speak the truth. The federal government formed a fact-finding committee to investigate the compliance with the 2019 judgement. Former Pemra chairman Absar Alam submitted a statement alleging coercion from the then ISI Director General and his subordinates. During the hearing, the CJP criticized the committee, stating that it was an “eyewash” and that its terms of reference were inadequate. The court summoned the incumbent Pemra chief over the allegations made in Alam’s note. The IB’s review petition asked the court to set aside adverse observations made against the department, and the defence ministry’s petition requested the court to set aside observations about the armed forces and the ISI. The ECP’s petition argued that it had enforced the Constitution, law, and code of conduct during the sit-in. The PTI questioned the mention of the 2014 joint sit-in in the verdict.

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