Tag: IHC judge

  • Missing Kashmiri poet Ahmad Farhad meets family

    Missing Kashmiri poet Ahmad Farhad meets family

    After the Islamabad High Court (IHC) was informed about the whereabouts of missing Kashmiri poet Ahmad Farhad, his family met him at a police station in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Wednesday.

    Earlier, the Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP), Mansoor Usman Awan, told the Islamabad High Court (IHC) that Kasmiri poet Ahmad Farhad had been found in the custody of Azad Jammu and Kashmir police.

    Farhad’s wife Urooj Zainab requested the IHC  to identify, investigate, and prosecute those responsible for her husband’s disappearance.

    Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani heard the petition filed by Urooj Zainab, while human rights lawyer Imaan Mazari is Zainab’s counsel in the case.

    A report by the DhirKot Kashmir police station was also presented before the court.

    During a hearing held on May 21, the AGP assured the court of efforts on the safe recovery of the missing poet.

    “[We] will do whatever it takes. [We] will rescue and recover [Farhad],” the AGP said while addressing the IHC judge and taking the responsibility to look into the matter.

    However, Justice Kayani directed the AGP to make sure that “no one gets picked up from Islamabad.”

  • Judge Humayun Dilawar made OSD at IHC after citing threats to family

    Judge Humayun Dilawar made OSD at IHC after citing threats to family

    Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ) Humayun Dilawar, who convicted PTI Chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan, giving him a three-year jail term in the Toshakhana case, was made an officer on special duty (OSD) on Friday.

    As per the notification, Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Aamer Farooq appointed ADSJ Dilawar as an OSD against a “newly-created post” at the high court.

    The notification issued by the Islamabad High Court additional registrar, Ijaz Ahmed, also states “The honourable chief justice of this court has been pleased to make following transfer/posting of ADSJ working in the Islamabad Judicial Service, in the public interest.” 

    The transfer came about after ADSJ Dilawar wrote to the IHC on August 17, asking for a transfer. In his letter, the judge stated his concerns regarding protests by PTI’s lawyers in his courtroom, the trolling he faced on social media and a campaign against him during his training at the University of Hull, UK.

    In an application to the IHC registrar the ADSJ said: “I take the honour to submit that the undersigned has recently rendered a judgment in criminal Complaint under section 190 of Election Act 2017 in respect of offences under sections 167 and 173 Of the Election Act 2017 along with all other enabling provisions of Law, titling District Election commissioner Islamabad Versus Imran Ahmad Niazi, convicted the accused who is the chairman of a political party.”

    The judge said that during the trial and particularly after passing the judgment, a campaign on social media was launched against him leading to serious threats from different people across the world. 

    “My children are also facing hardship in moving to school and facing an unpleasant situation,” he said, adding that an organised social media campaign was orchestrated against him and his family. 

    “Similarly, during a recent visit of the undersigned to the UK to attend Training at the University of Hull, the undersigned and other judicial officers had to undergo displeasing episodes.” 

    In view of the situation, the judge requested the relevant authority that he may be transferred to any other place.

  • ‘What the trial court did was wrong’: Chief Justice IHC

    Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Aamer Farooq said on Friday that the trial court which convicted Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan in the Toshakhana case, “did wrong”.

    The judge made these remarks during the hearing of Imran Khan’s appeal challenging the Toshakhana judgment. It should also be remembered that Imran is already in Attock jail, serving a three-year sentence.

    CJ Farooq and Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri are part of the bench hearing the appeal of the suspension of Imran Khan’s sentence in the Toshakhana case.

    The Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) lawyer, Amjad Parvez, was absent from today’s hearing. His assistant said that Amjad is unwell.

    His assistant advocate also asked the bench for an adjournment, saying, “For the last eight months, we never sought adjournment.”

    At this point, the IHC chief justice said, “The request for suspension of sentence is now at a critical stage. We can also do what the trial court did, but we will not.”

    “We adjourn the case till Monday, and even if no one comes, we will announce our decision,” Justice Farooq said, adding that what the trial court had done was wrong.

  • IHC questions govt’s reluctance over disclosing details of gifts presented to PM Khan

    IHC questions govt’s reluctance over disclosing details of gifts presented to PM Khan

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) questioned the government over its reluctant attitude to disclose details of the gifts presented to Prime Min­ister (PM) Imran Khan since his appointment in 2018, reports Dawn.

    Prior to this, the Pakistan Information Commission (PIC) had directed the Cabinet Division to “provide the requested information about the gifts received by PM Khan”.

    However, the Cabinet Division argued that the matter did not fall under the Right of Access to Information Act, 2017.

    “What is the harm in making it public if some country has given a necklace as a gift?” asked Justice Mian Gul Hassan Aurangzeb. He said that gifts received by the rulers of a country belonged to the nation and not to them, asking whether public officeholders would even receive those gifts if the public office did not exist.

    Justice Aurangzeb asked: “Why doesn’t the government keep all the gifts in the museum? The government should make details of the gifts in the last 10 years public.”

    He also said that the Centre should inform how many gifts had their valuation done by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR). The government representative at the hearing requested time to respond, after which the court adjourned the hearing.

    Earlier in September, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry revealed that Arab rulers who presented gifts to PM Khan “did not want their names to be made public”.

    Tosha­khana is a department established in1974 that stores precious gifts given to the rulers, parliamentarians, bureaucrats, and officials heads by the other governments and foreign dignitaries.

    According to Dawn, it has valuables ranging from bulletproof cars, gold-plated souvenirs, expensive paintings, watches, ornaments, rugs and swords.

  • JCP endorses Babar Sattar’s nomination as IHC judge

    JCP endorses Babar Sattar’s nomination as IHC judge

    The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) has endorsed the nomination of eminent lawyers Babar Sattar and Tariq Jahangiri as additional judges of the Islamabad High Court in its recommendation sent to the Parliamentary Committee on Appointment of Judges.

    The meeting of JCP — which comprises besides the chief justice of Pakistan senior most judges of the Supreme Court, chief justice and senior most judge of the Islamabad High Court, law minister, attorney general, members of the Pakistan Bar Council and Islamabad Bar Council — was held in the Supreme Court building under Article 175-A of the Constitution, reported Dawn.

    Under Article 175-A of the Constitution, the commission recommends appointment and confirmation of the judges whereas the Parliamentary Committee on Appointment of Judges endorses these recommendations. It may be noted here that Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Athar Minallah had forwarded these names to the JCP for the post of the IHC judges.

    Babar Sattar, who is based in Islamabad, appeared on TV shows as an analyst and also wrote columns for national dailies. He also represented Supreme Court judge Qazi Faez Isa, who was facing (now-quashed) a misconduct reference filed by the federal government over undeclared assets, in the Supreme Court.

    According to Salahuddin Ahmed, the president of the Sindh High Court Bar Association (SCBA), Sattar “is one of the most qualified and upright advocates to be ever chosen for elevation as a judge”.

    According to reports, Jahangiri is a former advocate general for Islamabad. He is an expert in criminal, constitutional and civil laws. He was elected as president of the Islamabad High Court Bar Association in 2016. Previously, he was president of the District Bar Association of Islamabad.