Supreme Court's Justice Mansoor Ali Shah 'not afraid' of reference

• If I have done nothing wrong, why should I fear? asks Mansoor.
• Senior puisne judge says he regularly meets with fellow judges.
• PML-N senator speaks on judges' reference speculation.

ISLAMABAD: Supreme Court (SC) Justice Mansoor Ali Shah has said he is not afraid of any reference, saying that if he has done nothing wrong, there is no reason to fear.

Speaking informally to journalists after the oath-taking ceremony of newly-appointed judges in the Supreme Court on Friday, Justice Mansoor responded to a question about the reference being reportedly filed against him.

The senior puisne judge responded: "We will see when the reference comes. If I have done nothing wrong, why should I fear? Allah is the ultimate authority. We will not give up and go down fighting."

Rana Sanaullah, the prime minister’s adviser on political and public affairs, earlier this week hinted at filing a reference against two senior apex court judges who, according to him, were committing “misconduct” by “writing letters on every issue containing critical remarks” and “leaking it to the media”.

However, the premier’s adviser clarified his statement days later, saying that his remarks about filing a reference against the judges were neither an announcement nor a threat.

Federal Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar also further elucidated that the premier’s aide never talked about filing a reference against the judges except for presenting his point of view on “misconduct” by some of the judges amid growing tensions over the nomination and transfer of senior jurists.

Meanwhile, the senior puisne judge also mentioned that he regularly meets with fellow judges and even shares tea with them. Smiling, he added: "Right now, I just came to have tea after the oath-taking ceremony."

In a cryptic remark, he added: "If an elephant is in the room and no one sees it, what can be said [of it]?"

Justice Mansoor dismissed any notion of personal grudges or conflicts, saying: "I have no personal enmity or disagreements with anyone."

To another query seeking response on the chief justice’s allegedly saying that the judges did not perform their duties, he said everything was available online, pointing to case disposal rates.

“Yes, we come here to take tea only. By the way, check the record when you find some time, so that you know who does how much work.

"Look at the case clearance rate. Everything is available on the Supreme Court’s website," he said. He also noted that records show how many judgments by each judge have been published in legal books.

When told that the chief justice said the judges who wrote letters had panicked, Justice Mansoor sarcastically said: "Look, our hands are still trembling."

To another query, if other judges also supported him, he put his hand on Justice Aqeel Abbasi’s shoulder and said look they have got his back.

When Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail was questioned about his opinion on the CJ’s remarks that the PTI founder’s letter was sent to the constitutional committee, he replied that he did not receive any letter.

“We will see when it will be presented in the constitutional committee as the committee’s meeting has not taken yet,” he added.

Never seen judges stage walkout: senator

On the other hand, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Irfan Siddiqui has said that he is unaware of any government plans to file a reference against two judges.

Speaking on Geo News programme "Geo Pakistan", Siddiqui mentioned that everyone knows which two judges are being discussed in this context.

However, he emphasised that he has no knowledge of whether the government is considering such a move.

Siddiqui further noted that while politicians often stage walkouts and boycotts, he has never seen judges doing so.

The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) earlier this week approved the appointment of six new judges to the apex court amid a boycott by PTI lawmakers and two senior SC judges. The chief justices of all high courts, except the Lahore High Court (LHC) were among the six judges nominated.

Earlier, three judges — from Sindh, Balochistan, and Lahore — were transferred to the IHC, drawing severe criticism from the legal fraternity, including the IHC judges.

The five justices, contesting the seniority criteria, were of the view that the judges transferred from other high courts should take oath anew to reset their seniority.

Nevertheless, their representation was rejected by then-IHC chief justice Aamer Farooq, saying the new oath was not required as their seniority was calculated from the time they took oath in their respective high court and not from the date of their transfer.

PML-N Senator Siddiqui also disclosed that he was present at the Prime Minister’s House luncheon, where the matter of PTI founder Imran Khan allegedly sending letters to Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir was raised.

According to Siddiqui, the army chief responded that he had not received any such letters.

Talking informally to the media and apparently referring to the incarcerated PTI founding chairman’s 'open letters', the army chief has denied receiving any letter from the jailed former premier. The army chief said he would not "read it [letter] even if I receive it".

The COAS maintained that he would forward any such communication to the prime minister if he received it.