Legal experts have said that a meeting of the Judicial Policy Making Committee is being carried out today to review judicial performance and implementation of reforms, in which all Chief Justices will participate. According to legal experts, these meetings are being conducted continuously, but no progress is being made in eliminating the major challenge like administrative interference in the judiciary. Sources close to the matter say additional details are expected to emerge soon.

Background

The backdrop to this story helps explain both the urgency and the broader implications.

According to experts, following the 26th amendment, the administration was playing an important contribution in the internal decision-making of the judiciary, most of the appointments and transfers of judges in various high courts took place at the behest of the government.

Despite strong opposition, Chief Justice Yahya Afridi could not stop the transfer of judges of Islamabad High Court to different High Courts, the current government is not following the orders of the Supreme Court.

Analysis

The implications of this development are already being assessed by those closest to the issue.

In May last year, the Supreme Court directed the citizens facing cases in the military courts to have the right of appeal in the Substantial Court.

Adding to the complexity of the situation, barrister Taimur Malik, lawyer of the political prisoners, told The Express Tribune that the Jail Reforms Measure Plan is a positive step, but talks of reforms are meaningless without setting a date for hearing the prisoners' bail, suspension of sentence applications and appeals.

National Impact

For those directly affected, the consequences are both immediate and long-lasting.

He said that there are more prisoners than the capacity in the country's jails, the number of prisoners in bailable crimes can be reduced by releasing them on bail.

In a related development, he said that despite the diagnosis of kidney disease in Ijaz Chaudhry, the date of hearing of the suspension of sentence appeal has not been fixed yet.

What Happens Next

The implications of what has transpired will take time to fully understand. In the interim, this development stands as a significant moment in a story that is still being written.