The Lahore High Court has transferred and posted a large number of district and session court judges, including those hearing political cases, across the province.
According to a notification signed by LHC Registrar Irfan Ahmad Saeed, 53 district and session judges have been transferred from one station to another. Around 22 of these judges, including anti-terrorism court Judge Izaj Ahmad Buttar and Central Special Judge Bakht Fakhar Bahzad, were directed to report to the LHC for further orders.
Cases pertaining to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leaders and workers allegedly involved in May 9 riots, particularly vandalism of Lahore Corps Commander House (Jinnah House), were being heard by ATC Judge Buttar.Whereas Judge Bahzad was hearing different cases of a political nature including money laundering cases against family members of former Punjab chief minister Pervez Elahi.
He is also the judge who acquitted former premier Shehbaz Sharif and others in the Federal Investigation Agency’s Rs16 billion money laundering case. District and Sessions Judge Aslam Gondal, who had granted bail to Elahi in a case pertaining to suspicious transactions, was also directed to report to the LHC for further orders.
Meanwhile, Faisalabad District and Sessions Judge Sheikh Khalid Bashir has been appointed as the LHC registrar, a Lahore District and Sessions Judge Tanveer Akbar as been posted as LHC director for general case management and Kasur District and Sessions Judge Qaiser Nazir Butt has been transferred to a local court in Lahore.
According to the notification, a copy of which is available with The Express Tribune, the relevant officers have been directed to resume charge by September 4.
