Repatriated Lahore ACs judges were appointed 70 days back

ISLAMABAD: Two judges of the Lahore accountability courts, who have been repatriated by the federal law ministry to the Lahore High Court (LHC), were appointed to these posts just seventy days ago.

The record shows that through a notification, President Dr Arif Alvi had notified the appointment of District and Sessions Judges Mushtaq Elahi and Naeem Arshad as the presiding officers of the accountability courts on June 18, 2019.

According to the order, they were appointed for a period of three years as is the case such nominations for special courts. Like many other judicial forums, all the accountability courts are federal courts and the federal law ministry makes the appointment of their presiding officers.

A law ministry notification dated August 26, 2019 signed by Sections Officer Ijazul Haq said that the competent authority has been pleased to repatriate the services of these judges from their present place of posting.

It requested the LHC registrar (obviously with the approval of the provincial chief justice) to forward panel of suitable judicial officers, eligible in all respects to enable law and justice division to further process their appointments by the competent authority.

The procedure followed in such appointments is that the names are sent to the law ministry by the concerned provincial chief justice, and the ministry picks up the presiding officers from amongst the nominations.

The same notification also sought repatriation of the judge of the Special Court (Control of Narcotics Substances), Lahore, Masood Arshad, who was assigned this position in February 2017 for a period of three years. Among others, he was hearing the high-profile case of alleged recovery of heroin from PML-N Punjab President Rana Sanaullah. The notification cited no reason seeking repatriation of the three judges before the expiration of their three years stay in these positions.

However, it is known that the references filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against top Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders including Shahbaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz and Hamza Shahbaz are being heard by the accountability courts of Lahore.

Naeem Arshad was the duty judge currently presiding over the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case against Maryam and her cousin Yousuf Abbas; the Ramzan Sugar Mills case against Shahbaz Sharif; and money laundering cases against Hamza Shahbaz and Salman Shahbaz. He had been tasked with hearing these cases as the main judge was on summer holidays.

Judge Mushtaq Ilahi was not hearing any high-profile cases. He, however, was on the benches hearing a number of NAB cases.