Islamabad:
It was a scene that was rarely witnessed in the country’s highest court. On Friday, five judges in Islamabad High Court (IHC) entered the Supreme Court not through the usual back channels, but side by side with the public and created a view that mixed drama with symbolism.
After depositing their national identity cards at the reception and placed visitors passing around the neck, the judges drove through the same entry used by ordinary litigation. A quantity of mobile phone cameras that were already in place caught their every step.
The five judges – Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, Justice Babar Sattar, Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq and Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz – may have appeared without official message, but their arrival was no total surprise.
An unusually large number of journalists were already waiting in court, despite the fact that no political cases were erected that day, nor was any prominent leader expected.
By choosing a public route, the IHC judges went over the farm and settled at the Supreme Court’s facilitation center. Each biometric verification and signed constitutional petitions completed. For over half an hour, the judges remained on wooden benches at the facility and broke up casual conversation with the staff.
In between, the judges asked when their appeals would be resolved.
The staff explained that cases are typically determined within 8-14 days, although objections may require personal appearance.
Justice Tariq Jahangiri replied with a hint of irony: “That’s fine, we’re coming. In any case, it seems we’re coming and going often.”
