Islamabad:
It was a scene rarely witnessed on the highest court in the country. On Friday, five judges of the Superior Court of Islamabad (IHC) entered the Supreme Court, not through the usual posterior channels, but next to the public, creating an opinion that combines the drama with the symbolism.
After depositing their national identity cards at the reception and placing visitors around their necks, the judges made their way through the same entry used by ordinary litigants. A multitude of mobile phone cameras, already in its place, captured each step.
The five judges: Judge Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, Judge Babar Sattar, Judge Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, Judge Sardar Ejaz Ishaq and Judge Saman Rafat Imtiaz, may have appeared without an official announcement, but his arrival was not a total surprise.
An unusually large number of journalists was already waiting within the courts of the Court, although there were no political cases that day, nor was any prominent leader expected.
When choosing a public route, IHC judges crossed the patio and settled at the Supreme Court facilitation center. There, each completed the biometric verification and signed constitutional requests. For more than half an hour, the judges were seated in the wooden banks of the facilities, understanding an informal conversation with the staff.
Among the light talk, the judges asked when their appeals would be solved.
The staff explained that cases are generally set within 8-14 days, although objections may require a personal appearance.
Judge Tariq Jahangiri responded with a touch of irony: “That’s well, we will come. In any case, now it seems that we are going to go.”
