Pakistan spies ‘filmed judges in their bedrooms in intimidation campaign’

Intelligence agency accused of interfering in ‘politically consequential’ court cases, including some against Imran Khan

Pakistani judges have accused the ISI intelligence agency of planting cameras in their bedrooms in an intimidation campaign designed to influence the outcome of “politically consequential” cases, including some against Imran Khan.
Six judges, all from the Islamabad High Court, wrote an open letter detailing numerous incidents of alleged harassment, abduction, torture and blackmail, which they said were part of the powerful spy service’s efforts to interfere in “politically consequential” cases.
The letter is a rare public rebuke to the largely unquestioned power of the Pakistani military, which oversees the ISI and has long been accused of meddling in the country’s politics.
Mr Khan, the former international cricket star turned politician, who was ousted from power and eventually jailed and barred from running in February’s elections, has been hit with a deluge of nearly 200 cases, which analysts say are intended to sideline him. Several of those cases were heard at the Islamabad High Court.
According to the letter, “considerable pressure was brought to bear” on judges “by operatives of the ISI” over a case facing Mr Khan in March 2023.
“Fearing for their security, they sought additional protection for their homes,” the letter said.
In one example, it also alleges that a judge’s brother-in-law was abducted by “individuals who claimed to be operatives of the ISI” and “tortured into making false allegations” using “electric shocks”.
In another instance, the letter mentions that last year, during routine maintenance, a judge discovered spy cameras hidden in his drawing room and bedroom, and when data from the device was checked, it revealed “private videos of the judge and his family members”.
“We believe it is imperative to inquire into and determine whether there exists a continuing policy on part of the executive branch of the state, implemented by intelligence operatives who report to the executive branch, to intimidate judges, under threat of coercion or blackmail, to engineer judicial outcomes in politically consequential matters,” the letter reads.
Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at the Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars in Washington, said the letter revealed “the extent of interference in the legal process, at the highest levels”.
“That says a whole lot about just how deep and extensive and serious the establishment’s interference is these days – in the law, but also in politics and public policy,” he said.
After the letter was published, judicial bodies across the country voiced their support for the six judges and demanded a “transparent inquiry” into the allegations.
The Islamabad High Court Bar Association has said it would consider calling a national lawyers convention  to safeguard the judiciary’s independence.
Qazi Faez Isa, the chief justice of Pakistan, called for an emergency full court meeting of the Supreme Court.
Mr Khan has been in jail since October 2023 and in January he and his wife Bushra Bibi, were sentenced to 14 years in prison for allegedly selling state gifts illegally. 
In another case involving the disclosure of state secrets, Mr Khan and his former foreign minister, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, were sentenced to 10 years in jail.
Candidates loyal to Mr Khan won more seats than any other party in February’s elections, but a coalition, headed by Shehbaz Sharif, the prime minister, took power with the army’s blessing.
Mr Khan has protested his innocence and has accused the military and the ISI of attempting to destroy his  Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.
A spokesman for the PTI said: “The fact that the judges have been intimidated and coerced into giving judgments based on political expediency raises a lot of questions on the fairness of the courts and their judgments over the last two years.”