ISLAMABAD – The Islamabad High Court (IHC) judge Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui, who was recently in the headlines for accusing the country’s top spy agency and the military establishment of interfering in the judicial affairs, has refused to go abroad for attending a workshop citing ‘serious life threats’ to him and his family.
The judge wrote a letter to IHC Chief Justice Muhammad Anwar Kasi on Friday, stating that he had been selected by the top judge of the high court to attend a workshop to be held at Hull University in Manchester UK from August 11 to 18.
“[However] due to issuance of show cause notice dated July 31 by the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) and for the fact that there are serious life threats to me and my family, I do not find it appropriate to leave my family in a state of fear and stress,” said judge as he requested to nominate other judge.
The July 21st speech of Justice Siddiqui stirred concerns in the power corridors as the judge had directly alleged the premier intelligence agency of interfering in judicial affairs, with a special reference to the case involving former premier Nawaz Sharif and his daughter.
Justice Siddiqui had claimed that ISI personnel approached the IHC chief justice and asked him not to let deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter come out of the prison before the general elections and not to include him (Justice Siddiqui) in the bench and that Kasi responded the bench would be constituted as per their desire.
On Aug 2, the chief justice of the IHC denied the allegations put forth against him by his fellow judge. Subsequently, an IHC division bench had expunged the remarks of Justice Siddiqui from the order passed in a missing persons case.
https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/pakistan/chief-justice-ihc-denies-isi-related-allegations-leveled-by-justice-siddiqui/
Moreover, the Supreme Judicial Council also issued a show cause notice to Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui over his speech at the Rawalpindi District Bar Association, asking him to submit his reply by Aug 28.
Justice Siddiqui is also facing a reference in the SJC for excessive spending on renovation of his official residence. The matter had been postponed by the council for indefinite time as the attorney general expressed his inability to proceed since the evidence was prepared by Maulvi Anwarul Haq, a senior counsel who was abroad then.
