Mohsin Siddiqui (Chief Reporter)
The Supreme Court office aimed to resolve a recent controversy related to the airport protocol accorded to superior court judges and their spouses. The controversy arose due to a registrar’s correspondence to the aviation secretary on Sept 21, addressing an anomaly in judges’ protocols.
Initially, the registrar’s letter highlighted a disparity where spouses of retired judges were exempted from body searches, while the wives of serving judges had to undergo frisking at airports. The letter expressed hope for the aviation secretary to rectify this anomaly by acknowledging that airport security cards exempted certain individuals, including the chief justice and judges of the Supreme Court, from body searches.
In response, the director general of the Airport Security Force (ASF) informed that the spouses of serving judges and chief justices of the Supreme Court were exempted from body searches at the airport. However, this information was leaked to the media over the weekend.
On Monday, the Supreme Court’s public relations officer (PRO) wrote a joint letter to the aviation secretary and the director general of ASF, expressing regret over the leaked Oct 12 letter. The letter clarified that the body search exemption rule was not made by the Supreme Court; instead, the registrar had pointed out an anomaly.
The PRO’s letter emphasized the need for full disclosure and urged the release of the Sept 21 letter to correct misconceptions. It clarified that no exemption was sought or given, and it noted that Mrs. Sarina Isa, the wife of Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, underwent regular security procedures at the airport.
The letter highlighted that the recent disclosure of the 66-day-old letter coincided with CJP Isa’s departure from Pakistan. Additionally, it mentioned that the body search exemption cards for spouses had not been received. CJP Isa declined the use of VIP facilities at the airport, including the VIP lounge and a luxury limousine.
