ISLAMABAD - The federal government Thursday refuted the allegations levelled by the former judge of Islamabad High Court (IHC) Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui about the interference of Inter Service Intelligence (ISI) in judicial proceedings.
An Additional Attorney General made the statement before a five-member larger bench of the apex court headed by Justice Umar Ata Bandial during the hearing of the petition of Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui against the recommendations of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) and the federal government notification for his removal.
AAG Sohail Mehmood appeared on behalf of the federation and submitted the statement saying, “As specific allegations about certain officers of the state were made in the petition and read out in court, on instructions it is placed before this court that the allegations/statement made by the former judge of IHC are baseless, misleading and denied.”
Hamid Khan, representing Shaukat Siddiqui, apprised the bench that yesterday (on June 9) his client submitted an affidavit in Supreme Court about his statement.
He said that ,however, the Registrar returned it with objections that the language used in it is inappropriate against the institutions.
Hamid Khan contended that whenever the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) proceed on any reference it first conduct inquiry. However, in the instant matter no inquiry was conducted. Justice Bandial said that the SJC holds an inquiry on reference sent by the President, but that was the complaint. He added that it is Council’s prerogative to conduct or not inquiry on the complaints.
He remarked that it does not make difference if the Registrar office has returned the affidavit as the former judge had stated all these earlier as well. All these are part of the record, he added.