LAHORE – The cowardly gun attack on the house of Supreme Court’s Justice Ijaz-ul-Hassan raked in support for the judge from Pakistan’s politicians and army on Sunday.
In an audacious attack, shots were fired at the judge’s house in Lahore’s Model Town on Saturday night and again today morning. No casualties have been reported from the attack.
Hours after the incident, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi condemned the incident and directed the authorities to bring the culprits to table as soon as possible.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan was the first one to condemn the incident:
https://twitter.com/ImranKhanPTI/status/985422359426412544
In a flimsy reference to the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), the PTI chief said “these Sicilian-mafia-like tactics to pressurise senior judiciary are unacceptable in any democracy”.
“PTI stands firmly behind the and rule of law,” Khan wrote on Twitter while adding that this is one reason behind their public gathering at Minar-i-Pakistan on April 29th.
His party leaders followed the Kaptaan to condemn the incident:
https://twitter.com/JahangirKTareen/status/985426220266479616
https://twitter.com/ShahramKTarakai/status/985426328538308610
https://twitter.com/ShireenMazari1/status/985424086913470464
https://twitter.com/PTICPOfficial/status/985412921059631105
The top leadership of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), including former president Asif Ali Zardari, Bilawal Bhutto and Faryal Talpur, also released the statements of condemnation over the attack.
Naz Baloch, who quit PTI to join PPP last year, termed the firing as an ‘attack on judicial independence’.
https://twitter.com/NazBaloch_/status/985455039727759360
The military spokesman, Major General Asif Ghafoor, condemned the firing incident at the residence of Justice Ijaz ul Ahsan while terming it “condemnable”.
“All stake holders should ensure secure environment for effective functioning of the state institutions and continue the efforts to consolidate improving peace and stability,” the chief of Inter Services Public Relations said in a statement.
Justice Ijaz-ul-Ahsan was part of the five-member bench that disqualified former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif after he was found guilty of laundering money post the Panama Papers leak.
He is currently the monitoring judge to supervise and monitor the implementation of the Panamagate case verdict and oversee the ongoing proceedings by the NAB and accountability courts against the Sharif family members and Ishaq Dar.
Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar reportedly reached Ahsan’s residence in the morning and summoned the Punjab Inspector General to probe the case. The CJP is believed to be personally overseeing the investigations.
