The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered former Islamabad High Court (IHC) judge Shaukat Azizi Siddiqui to nominate former spy chief General Faiz Hamid and others in the plea against his dismissal.
Earlier today the apex court resumed the hearing of a plea filed by the former judge against his removal by the Supreme Judicial Council.
A five-member bench led by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa and comprising Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi and Justice Irfan Saadat Khan conducting proceedings on the plea.
The proceedings were broadcast live on the apex court’s website as well as on its YouTube channel.
Lawyer Hamid Khan represented the former IHC judge in the case.
The case was fixed for hearing earlier this month after the judge filed a miscellaneous application with the Supreme Court to conduct early hearing of his plea against the decision by the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) on his dismissal.
Ex-judge expects 100% justice
In an interview with Geo News, the former judge was asked if justice would be ensured since it took so long for his petition to be taken up by the top court.
“I expect 100% justice,” replied Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui.
Responding to a question about whether he has evidence against the alleged injustice meted out to him, the ex-judge said: “The evidence has already been given. Not denying the allegations is in itself a huge evidence.”
When asked how the judiciary could be freed from external pressure in the future, the jurist said it may happen. The Supreme Court should form an inquiry commission and give directions to investigate, he added.
The former judge was questioned if he felt under pressure following his dismissal. “For the past five years, my family and I have seen very difficult situations.”
IHC judge removal
It must be noted that the former judge was removed from his position in the IHC for his speech targeting intelligence agencies when he was addressing the Rawalpindi Bar Association on July 21, 2018.
In his address, the ex-judge accused sensitive institutions of interfering in judicial work.
Multiple references were subsequently filed against him which included extra expenses on government residence, two related references against him passing remarks during hearing of the Faizabad sit-in case in 2017, another seeking his dismissal and one taken up by the SJC following on a complaint filed against him in the wake of the speeches.
He was eventually dismissed from the post on October 11, 2018, after the SJC decided to dismiss him.
The judge then challenged his dismissal by the SJC in 2018 and his case has been ongoing ever since with the last hearing on the constitutional petition held on June 13, 2022.
Siddiqui, in his petition, requested to cancel the dismissal notification issued against him as an IHC judge.
The judge is being represented by senior lawyer Hamid Khan, while parties in the petition include the Islamabad Bar Association and Karachi Bar Association.
More to follow…
