ISI meddling in Sharif case: Judge

Islamabad, July 22

Pakistan’s top court on Sunday said it had begun reviewing statements made by a judge alleging the country’s spy agencies were influencing judicial proceedings, as the powerful military called for an investigation.

Pakistan’s July 25 General Election has been hit by accusations of pre-poll rigging with ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) accusing the military of influencing the judiciary to deny it a second term.

Islamabad High Court judge Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui accused the country’s premier spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), of interfering in legal cases.

“The ISI is fully involved in trying to manipulate the judicial proceedings,” Siddiqui said in a speech to lawyers, adding the agency had told the court not to release Sharif and his daughter Maryam until after the elections.

“In order to safeguard the sanctity and credibility of the state institutions, the Supreme Court has been requested to initiate appropriate process to ascertain the veracity of the allegations and take actions accordingly,” the army said. Disqualification of candidates is one of the challenges the former ruling PML-N has faced ahead of the elections. — Reuters

Candidate Radesh Singh Tony, the brave

Radesh Singh Tony (centre) is the first independent candidate from Pakistan’s Sikh minority to run in conservative, northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The odds are already heavily stacked against Tony in a constituency populated with around 130,000 mostly Muslim registered voters, compared to just 160 Sikhs.

His two opponents come from parties backed by hardline religious organisations with links to militant groups. The contest comes just months after local community leader Charanjeet Singh was shot dead. If elected, Tony has vowed to serve all communities, but is still wary of simmering threats. “We are vulnerable targets,” Tony says. “We are campaigning in an atmosphere of fear.” AFP