A five-member Supreme Court bench will hear a suo moto case related to the government’s “perceived interference” in the independence of prosecution branch agencies on Thursday (today) at 1:00pm.

The larger bench will be headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial and included Justice Ijazul Ahsan, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi and Justice Mohammad Ali Mazhar.

According to a statement issued by the Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday, Chief Justice Bandial took notice of the matter on the recommendations of an honourable SC judge.

“It is apprehended that such perceived interference may influence the prosecution of cases, tampering/disappearing of evidence,” the statement stated, adding that the practice could disrupt the justice system

“Such actions to amend the accountability laws are likely to undermine the functioning of the criminal justice system in the country”.