Days after Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, Omar Ayub Khan, wrote a letter to Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi highlighting alleged procedural violations in the ongoing May 9 trials, the top judge reached out to him and invited him for a meeting.
According to sources, the Chief Justice initially invited Mr Ayub to meet in Islamabad. However, the opposition leader declined, expressing fears of arrest. “If I come to meet you, I may not be able to return – I will be arrested,” he reportedly apprised the Chief Justice.
Responding with openness, CJP Afridi offered to meet Ayub in a location of his choosing. The meeting is now expected to take place in Peshawar, where Justice Afridi is scheduled to hear cases at the Supreme Court’s Peshawar Registry on Friday (tomorrow).
In his letter, Mr Ayub had raised allegations terming, “rushed and unfair” trials of May 9 suspects. He cited Anti-Terrorism Courts in Lahore, Faisalabad, and Sargodha allegedly operating into late hours, even up to 2–3 a.m., without due transparency or fair process. He accused the authorities of using the trials for political persecution, citing lack of credible evidence, restricted media access, and gross prosecutorial misconduct.
Calling the trials a travesty of justice, he urged the CJP to initiate a judicial inquiry and reopen concluded cases. “This is neither justice delayed nor justice served – this is justice crushed,” his letter read.
The expected meeting marks a rare moment of direct dialogue between the top judge of the judiciary and the parliamentary opposition over legal concerns of public importance, reinforcing the Chief Justice’s symbolic role as the custodian of “justice for all.”
