The News’ Fakhar Durrani has published a detailed investigative report which points out the reasons behind former Justice of the Supreme Court Ijazul Ahsan’s alleged bias against the Sharif family.
According to The News report, there were reportedly two quite old incidents that may have fueled the judge’s prejudice against the Sharifs, which reflected in his judgements against the family.
One incident was nearly 25 years old when the judge’s brother, Major (R) Izaharul Ahsan, was a highly-paid employee as the head of marketing at Ittefaq Foundry in Lahore. In the late 1990’s, Hussain Nawaz, the elder son of Nawaz Sharif, took charge of Ittefaq Foundry. He reviewed the performance of the senior management team, including Izhar ul Ahsan.
It was reported that Hussain Nawaz was unsatisfied with Izharul Ahsan’s performance, which was below average, and this led to his immediate removal.
In 2013-14, Izhar ul Ahsan visited the Sharif family’s steel mill in Saudi Arabia, bringing along some businessmen. However, he entered Hussain Nawaz’s office without prior notice or an appointment at which Hussain took offence. This incident added fuel to the fire between the Ahsans and the Sharifs.
Durrani reported that the second incident was rather more interesting and recent as the former judge is a neighbour of the Sharifs in Model Town, Lahore. Since 2008, while the Sharifs held power in Punjab, subsequent security protocols remained high. Logically, it created hindrances for other home owners – one of whom was the then Lahore High Court judge.
After the Sharif family lost power in 2018, Justice (R) Ijazul Ahsan ordered the removal of all security barriers around their home. To send a message, he installed the same barriers at his own residence, where they stayed until Imran Khan was in power. This move reflected his ongoing grudge against the Sharif family.
Durrani wrote that according to his sources, the security issues and the firing of Justice Ijazul Ahsan’s brother from a lucrative position fueled his resentment towards the Sharif family, which was clear in his comments and rulings against them.
Those who orchestrated the Sharifs’ removal in 2017 recognised his personal grievances, which is why they ensured his inclusion in the Panama case bench, wrote the reporter.
After the Panama case, the judge was also appointed as the monitoring judge to oversee the Sharif family’s trial in the Accountability Court. Sources say his anger towards the Sharifs was evident in his actions, as he frequently summoned NAB officials working on the case. He guided them on how to file references and what evidence to present against the Sharifs.
