Sindh High Court (SHC) Chief Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi has stated that he has not faced any pressure from the agency or anyone during his 15-year tenure as a judge.

“I have been a judge for 15 years and there has been no pressure on me till today or those beside me,” he said while responding to a reporter’s question during an event in Karachi on Saturday.

His statement comes amid claims of intelligence agencies’ “interference in the judicial matters.” The matter was reported by six – out of the total eight – Islamabad High Court judges in a letter to the Supreme Judicial Council.

In May, IHC judge Justice Babar Sattar again raised the alleged interference by the security establishment in the judicial process. It was related to the audio leaks case against former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi.

When asked, the SHC chief justice said that neither he nor the lawyers standing beside him had experienced any such pressure.

While acknowledging that there may be an “overall scenario in the country that was not entirely satisfactory, the high court chief justice clarified that even if any judge faced pressure, they could not be dishonest “barring few exceptions.”

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The SHC chief justice reiterated that no one has directly attempted to approach him or put any pressure on him regarding any case or matter. He stated that on the rare occasions when something was said, it was addressed immediately, and it was found to be a misunderstanding.

“Yes, there are some direct or indirect attempts or some gentleman comes and goes after saying something but thank God no one has put any pressure on me.”

He expressed confidence in asserting that he has not been the target of any direct or indirect attempts to pressure him by anyone, including state agencies.