LHC notifies Arshad Malik’s firing

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday issued a formal notification regarding “removal from service” video-scandal fame former district & sessions judge Arshad Malik.

The judge had convicted former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in one reference, filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), and acquitted in the other.

The LHC administrative committee, headed by Chief Justice Muhammad Qasim Khan, had approved removal of the sessions judge on July 3, after an inquiry held by a judge of the high court found him guilty of professional misconduct.

The ex-judge was proceeded against under the Punjab Civil Servants (Efficiency & Disciplinary) Rules 1990 on charge of misconduct.

The notification, issued by Registrar Bahadar Ali Khan, said: “The chief justice and judges as authority, after considering the reply to final show-cause notice, affording him an opportunity of being heard in person, and having found the accused officer being guilty of the aforesaid charge, while declining his representations as well as request for retirement, hereby impose major penalty of dismissal from service upon Mr Muhammad Arshad Malik, district & sessions judge/OSD Lahore.”

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had accused Malik, being judge of an Islamabad accountability court, of convicting Nawaz Sharif in Al-Azizia reference under duress. However, the judge claimed that he had been blackmailed by the PML-N supporters. He had acquitted Sharif in Flagship reference.

On July 6, 2019 PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz had showed video clips of judge Malik at a press conference. She had claimed that the judge, in the video, admitted before a loyal of the PML-N namely Nasir Butt that he convicted Nawaz unjustly as there was immense pressure on him.