PPP sympathisers make it to LHC
February 28, 2009
ISLAMABAD: In the midst of ongoing political tussle between President Zardari and Mian Nawaz Sharif, the PPP has inducted several ‘Jiyala’ judges into the Lahore High Court (LHC), many of whom contested and lost elections on PPP tickets.
In Punjab, President Zardari has appointed 16 judges of the LHC, four of whom have known affiliation with the PPP. A similar crop of PPP loyalists is also ready for induction in the Sindh High Court.
However, a senior PPP leader when contacted denied that anyone was inducted in the LHC or is to be inducted in the SHC because of his association or sympathies with the PPP. He said all inductions in the LHC were made on merit and competence. He said merit and competence would remain the criteria for any future inductions of judges.
The PPP loyalists, who have succeeded in getting themselves appointed as judges of the LHC include Raja Muhammad Shafqat Abbasi, Pervez Anayat Malik, Habibullah Shakir and Anwar-ul-Haq Pannu.
It may be recalled that during her second tenure even Benazir Bhutto had tried to stuff the courts with PPP jiyalas but the move could not succeed. She had even mentioned Jehangir Badr as a candidate for the post of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
Of the recently appointed judges Raja Muhammad Shafqat Abbasi has been an MPA from PP-1 (Murree) on the ticket of PPP from 2002 to 2007 but could not win the 2008 elections. He has been an active member of the Pakistan Bar Council who ditched the lawyers’ movement and joined the Sardar Latif Khosa group. He is son-in-law of an old PPP loyalist, late Raja Muhammad Anwar.
Habibullah Shakir has been affiliated with the PPP since 1988 and also contested the election of provincial assembly from PP-160 on the ticket of PPP but could not succeed. He has served as president of PPP Multan district.
According to Mehmood Ashraf, President High Court Bar Association (HCBA) Multan, Mr Shakir has been rewarded for his active participation against the lawyers’ movement and for his affiliation with PPP.
He said that Habibullah Shakir was the president HCBA Multan when the lawyers’ movement started and was the most active lawyer of Multan in the lawyers’ movement. But after the formation of PPP government Mr Shakir wavered from the principled stance of the restoration of the deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.
Judge Anwar-ul-Haq Pannu has remained president of PPP, Narowal division. He also contested election on the PPP ticket but could not succeed. He has remained an active member of People’s Lawyers Forum (PLF) and has also been a member of the Punjab Bar Council having tilt towards Khosa-Naek camp.
Pervaiz Annayat Malik was chairman executive committee of the Punjab Bar Council and ditched the lawyers’ movement when he joined the Khosa-Naek camp. A PLF leader said that all those who had ditched the lawyers’ movement have been appointed as judges of the Lahore High Court.
Other newly appointed judges include Syed Zulfiqar Ali Bokhari who was general secretary Supreme Court Bar Association when the lawyers’ movement was launched on March 9, 2007 and remained an active member of the movement. He ditched the movement after the formation of the PPP government at the Centre for which he has now been rewarded.
Irfan Qadir, another newly appointed LHC judge, is son-in-law of former Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice (R) Nasim Hasan Shah. It is worth mentioning here that he was the lawyer who got Musharraf’s November 3, 2007 PCO validated by the Supreme Court in the famous Iqbal Tikka case. He has also served as Prosecutor General of the National Accountability Bureau.
Abdul Sattar Goraya, who has also been appointed as a judge of LHC, is a very close aide of Dr Khalid Ranjha. He had fractured both his legs while campaigning for Dr Ranjha who represents PML-Q.
One of the senior members of PLF told The News that the PPP has taken advantage of the current situation in Punjab and has inducted its workers as judges in violation of the Charter of Democracy.
Former President Lahore Bar Association Manzoor Qadir, who rejected the offer of becoming a judge four times during last year and did not ditch the lawyers movement, told this correspondent that he would like to become a judge but only when chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry would propose his name. He said it was true that the PPP has appointed its workers as judges of the LHC.
Meanwhile, according to a press release issued here, President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday appointed 16 Additional Judges of the Lahore High Court from the date they take oath of their offices.
The newly appointed 16 additional judges included Pervez Ali Chawla, Ms Jamila Jahanoor Aslam, Muhammad Shafqat Khan Abbasi, Mahmood Akhtar Khan, Abdul Sattar Goraya, Habib Ullah Shakir, Pervez Inayat Malik, Nazir Ahmed Ghazi, Syed Ihtasham Qadir Shah, Anwarul Haq Pannu, Syed Zulfiqar Ali Bukhari, Imtiaz Rasheed Siddiqui, Ch Naeem Masood, Arshad Mahmood, Irfan Qadir and Jamshed Rahmat Ullah.
In Punjab, President Zardari has appointed 16 judges of the LHC, four of whom have known affiliation with the PPP. A similar crop of PPP loyalists is also ready for induction in the Sindh High Court.
However, a senior PPP leader when contacted denied that anyone was inducted in the LHC or is to be inducted in the SHC because of his association or sympathies with the PPP. He said all inductions in the LHC were made on merit and competence. He said merit and competence would remain the criteria for any future inductions of judges.
The PPP loyalists, who have succeeded in getting themselves appointed as judges of the LHC include Raja Muhammad Shafqat Abbasi, Pervez Anayat Malik, Habibullah Shakir and Anwar-ul-Haq Pannu.
It may be recalled that during her second tenure even Benazir Bhutto had tried to stuff the courts with PPP jiyalas but the move could not succeed. She had even mentioned Jehangir Badr as a candidate for the post of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
Of the recently appointed judges Raja Muhammad Shafqat Abbasi has been an MPA from PP-1 (Murree) on the ticket of PPP from 2002 to 2007 but could not win the 2008 elections. He has been an active member of the Pakistan Bar Council who ditched the lawyers’ movement and joined the Sardar Latif Khosa group. He is son-in-law of an old PPP loyalist, late Raja Muhammad Anwar.
Habibullah Shakir has been affiliated with the PPP since 1988 and also contested the election of provincial assembly from PP-160 on the ticket of PPP but could not succeed. He has served as president of PPP Multan district.
According to Mehmood Ashraf, President High Court Bar Association (HCBA) Multan, Mr Shakir has been rewarded for his active participation against the lawyers’ movement and for his affiliation with PPP.
He said that Habibullah Shakir was the president HCBA Multan when the lawyers’ movement started and was the most active lawyer of Multan in the lawyers’ movement. But after the formation of PPP government Mr Shakir wavered from the principled stance of the restoration of the deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.
Judge Anwar-ul-Haq Pannu has remained president of PPP, Narowal division. He also contested election on the PPP ticket but could not succeed. He has remained an active member of People’s Lawyers Forum (PLF) and has also been a member of the Punjab Bar Council having tilt towards Khosa-Naek camp.
Pervaiz Annayat Malik was chairman executive committee of the Punjab Bar Council and ditched the lawyers’ movement when he joined the Khosa-Naek camp. A PLF leader said that all those who had ditched the lawyers’ movement have been appointed as judges of the Lahore High Court.
Other newly appointed judges include Syed Zulfiqar Ali Bokhari who was general secretary Supreme Court Bar Association when the lawyers’ movement was launched on March 9, 2007 and remained an active member of the movement. He ditched the movement after the formation of the PPP government at the Centre for which he has now been rewarded.
Irfan Qadir, another newly appointed LHC judge, is son-in-law of former Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice (R) Nasim Hasan Shah. It is worth mentioning here that he was the lawyer who got Musharraf’s November 3, 2007 PCO validated by the Supreme Court in the famous Iqbal Tikka case. He has also served as Prosecutor General of the National Accountability Bureau.
Abdul Sattar Goraya, who has also been appointed as a judge of LHC, is a very close aide of Dr Khalid Ranjha. He had fractured both his legs while campaigning for Dr Ranjha who represents PML-Q.
One of the senior members of PLF told The News that the PPP has taken advantage of the current situation in Punjab and has inducted its workers as judges in violation of the Charter of Democracy.
Former President Lahore Bar Association Manzoor Qadir, who rejected the offer of becoming a judge four times during last year and did not ditch the lawyers movement, told this correspondent that he would like to become a judge but only when chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry would propose his name. He said it was true that the PPP has appointed its workers as judges of the LHC.
Meanwhile, according to a press release issued here, President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday appointed 16 Additional Judges of the Lahore High Court from the date they take oath of their offices.
The newly appointed 16 additional judges included Pervez Ali Chawla, Ms Jamila Jahanoor Aslam, Muhammad Shafqat Khan Abbasi, Mahmood Akhtar Khan, Abdul Sattar Goraya, Habib Ullah Shakir, Pervez Inayat Malik, Nazir Ahmed Ghazi, Syed Ihtasham Qadir Shah, Anwarul Haq Pannu, Syed Zulfiqar Ali Bukhari, Imtiaz Rasheed Siddiqui, Ch Naeem Masood, Arshad Mahmood, Irfan Qadir and Jamshed Rahmat Ullah.
