ISLAMABAD: Senior lawyers of Pakistan’s Supreme Court and the Islamabad Bar Association elicited a mixed response on Friday following the dismissal of Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui, a high court judge accused of “misconduct”, on the recommendation of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), a day earlier.
The five-member SJC – an apex body empowered to take disciplinary action against judges of superior judiciary – said in a 39-page detailed verdict on Friday that Siddiqui had “displayed conduct unbecoming of a judge of a High Court and was, thus, guilty of misconduct.”
Chief Justice Saqib Nisar also expressed his confidence in the SJC and said that judges who “do not work will be held accountable.”
In July this year, Siddiqui had criticized a leading agency of the country for its alleged meddling in the judicial affairs of the country. Later, the chief justice of Pakistan took notice of his statement and referred the matter to the judicial council for further action.
Javed Akbar, President of the Islamabad Bar Association (IBR), lauded the move, saying: “It is a good decision and received well in the lawyers’ fraternity.”
He added that Siddiqui was invited to the Rawalpindi Bar in July to give a lecture on legal ethics, but he made ‘irresponsible comments’ in his speech about a premier security agency of the country.
Akbar said that the ousted judge was left with no legal recourse since he had been removed from his position following a due process of law. “There is no remedy now,” he told Arab News, adding that Siddiqui could not even continue his legal practice after being removed on charges of misconduct.
Siddiqui rose to prominence last year after he directed the federal government to deal with ‘blasphemous content’ on social media websites and banned Valentine’s Day celebrations for being “un-Islamic.”
He was also part of the two-member bench that excluded anti-terrorism clauses from the case against Mumtaz Qadri, who killed former Punjab governor Salman Taseer and was later hanged to death.
Barrister Masroor Shah said Siddiqui violated the ‘code of conduct’ for judges as he publicly blamed a state institution of meddling in the judicial processes and this was “conduct unbecoming of a judge”.
“A proper legal process has been followed under Article 209 of the constitution and Siddiqui has been given a fair chance to prove himself innocent,” he told Arab News. “Unfortunately, he failed to substantiate his allegations.”
Shah said that the entire fabric of the society would be in tatters if people sitting in high positions started blaming state institutions openly without any evidence.
“The SJC has set a good example [by recommending the removal of the judge],” he said, adding: “I hope this will serve as a good precedent in other cases, too.”
Siddiqui was elevated as Additional Judge of Islamabad High Court in November 2011 to represent the Punjab province. “Siddiqui is a strong communicator, blessed with gifted qualities to express his thought and feelings through spoken words and in writings,” reads his bio on the court’s website.
Advocate Sharafat Ali said that the ousted judge was a professional lawyer and nobody could doubt his judicial skills and acumen, but his public remarks against a state institution were not received well in the legal fraternity.
“We hope the SJC will dispose off other pending cases against some judges as quickly as it decided [this one] against Siddiqui,” he told Arab News.
However, Habibullah Khan, a Supreme Court advocate, expressed his dismay over Siddiqui’s removal, saying the SJC should not have resorted to “unnecessary haste” to take up the case against him. “This was a political case and the Supreme Court should not have intervened in it,” he told Arab News.
He said this was the second case in Pakistan’s judicial history where a sitting judge had been punished for “misconduct” and this would not bode well for the institution itself, if people started filing complaints against the judges with the SJC.
Mixed reactions over sacking of high court judge
Mixed reactions over sacking of high court judge
- Siddiqui removed from post over allegations of “misconduct”
- Some lawyers lamented the move reasoning that council should gave conducted probe first
Pakistan, China call for more ‘visible, verifiable’ actions to dismantle ‘terrorist’ groups in Afghanistan
- Foreign ministers of China, Pakistan co-chair seventh round of strategic dialogue in Beijing to review bilateral cooperation, regional situation
- Pakistan accuses Kabul of facilitating attacks launched by militant outfits from Afghanistan’s soil, a charge Kabul has repeatedly denied
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and China on Monday urged Afghanistan to take more visible actions to dismantle “terrorist organizations” based in its country, vowing to work with world powers to encourage Kabul to adopt moderate policies and integrate into the international community.
Ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan remain strained as Islamabad alleges militant outfits, mainly the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) group, uses Afghan soil to launch attacks against Pakistan. Islamabad accuses the Afghan Taliban government of facilitating these attacks against Pakistan, charges Kabul have repeatedly denied.
The joint statement by China and Pakistan was released after a meeting of both countries’ foreign ministers, Ishaq Dar and Wang Yi, in Beijing. Dar and his Chinese counterpart co-chaired the Seventh Round of China-Pakistan Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue in Beijing on Jan. 4 where they reviewed cooperation in trade, investment, economic sectors, counterterrorism, defense and regional matters.
“The two sides called for more visible and verifiable actions to dismantle and eliminate all terrorist organizations based in Afghanistan which continue to pose serious threats to regional and global security, and prevent terrorist organizations from using the Afghan territory for terrorism against any other country and to endanger any other country,” the statement read.
The joint statement said the two countries will work with world powers to encourage Kabul to adopt an inclusive political framework, moderate policies, and pursue good neighborliness.
On bilateral cooperation, China and Pakistan said they had agreed to focus on industry, agriculture and mining, and also promote the building and operation of the Gwadar Port in southwestern Pakistan.
“The two sides will deepen cooperation in areas such as trade and investment, information technology, science and technology, cybersecurity, technical and vocational training and education, and people-to-people and cultural exchanges,” the statement said.
“The two sides agreed to further strengthen cooperation in the financial and banking sectors, including extending mutual support at regional and international multilateral financial forums. Pakistan appreciated China for providing support for its fiscal and financial sectors.”
The joint statement said China commended Pakistan’s “comprehensive measures” to combat “terrorism” and protect Chinese personnel, projects and institutions in the country.
“The two sides reiterated their commitment to combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations with zero tolerance, and agreed to further deepen all-round cooperation on counter-terrorism and security, and make concerted efforts to ensure that the China-Pakistan Belt and Road cooperation advance in a secure and smooth manner,” the statement said.
Pakistan and China expressed their willingness to conduct a transboundary water resources cooperation, stressing the importance of fulfilling international legal obligations. The statement comes as Pakistan frequently accuses India of violating a water-sharing agreement between the two neighbors, claiming New Delhi purposefully diverts the flow of water away from its territory.
Islamabad has warned that any move by New Delhi to stop or divert the flow of Indus rivers to Pakistan will be considered an “act of war.”
Pakistan and China also demanded an unconditional, comprehensive and permanent ceasefire in Gaza in their joint statement, reaffirming their support for the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and for the implementation of a two-state solution in the Middle East.
“The two sides also expressed their concern at the situation in the occupied West Bank, and urged the need for urgently addressing it,” the statement said.
