ISLAMABAD: The country’s premier intelligence agency has requested theIslamabad High Court (IHC) to expunge several paragraphs from an order ofits judge Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui who last week asked the army chief and thetop spymaster to stop meddling in affairs of other departments.

The Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) through the Ministry of Defencesecretary and the Federation through the Ministry of Interior on Fridayapproached the IHC against Justice Siddiqui’s July 18 order.

Deputy Attorney General (DAG) Khawaja Imtiaz Ahmed filed the appeal thatsaid a single-judge bench while hearing a habeas corpus petitionunnecessarily dragged the ISI in the controversy.

In a written order pertaining to a missing person’s case, Justice Siddiquihad said abduction of people from different walks of life had become aroutine in Islamabad but instead of performing their statutory duty thepolice came up with a stereotyped stance that persons might havedisappeared on their own.

The judge had said such statements were always made in those cases in whichallegations were levelled against the intelligence agencies, adding that itwas a sorry state of affairs and a challenge to the state. Justice Siddiquihad also claimed that even benches were constituted and cases were markedto different judges on the direction of such elements.

“Everyone knows how proceedings are manipulated, from where strings arepulled and when power wielded and manoeuvred to achieve desired results. Toremain like a silent spectator is against the oath made by every judgeprovided by the Constitution,” he had said.

In the intra-court appeal (ICA), the DAG said Justice Siddiqui’s remarksare “not only unsubstantiated and unfounded but also directattack/allegation on the appellants, the institution of Pak Army,judiciary” and specifically the IHC’s chief justice and other judges.