ISLAMABAD - It was revealed on Wednesday that the office of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) judge Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri has received ‘suspicious calls and messages’.
Sources from the judiciary disclosed that the individual behind the suspicious communication attempted to directly contact Justice Jahangiri and he purported to be the Director-General of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).
The person behind the suspicious calls introduced himself as director general FIA, the sources said and added, the caller wanted to talk directly to Justice Tariq Jahangiri. However, subsequent investigations determined that the FIA DG did not place any such call. In response, the top jurist directed the court registrar to promptly inform the FIA, providing them with the mobile number associated with the incident.
According to the sources privy to the development, the suspicious call was directed to Justice Jahangiri’s office at the Islamabad High Court just two days ago. Additionally, messages were sent to the judge’s personal mobile number from the same suspicious source.
Earlier on last Monday, IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq had declared that the court cannot tolerate any malicious campaign against any judge any longer as he led the full court bench hearing matter of social media campaign against the high court judge.
A smear social media campaign was launched against Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, terming his academic degree invalid. Subsequently, a reference was also filed on the same matter in the Supreme Judicial Council.
The IHC CJ’s remarks came during the contempt of court proceedings that the court started against those involved in the smear campaign against the IHC judge.
The high court’s full bench headed by the IHC CJ and comprised Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, Justice Babar Sattar, Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan, Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir and Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz. Justice Jahangiri was not a part of the bench.
Justice Jahangiri was a member of the IHC’s six judges who had written a letter on March 25 calling upon Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa to convene the judicial convention to consider the matter of alleged interference of intelligence operatives in the judicial functions or “intimidation” of judges in a manner that undermined the independence of the judiciary.