ISLAMABAD – The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered former Islamabad High Court (IHC) judge Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui to identify General Faiz Hamid, the former spy chief, and others in connection to the plea against his removal.
A SC five-member bench led by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa passed the order while hearing a plea moved by Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui against his dismissal by the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC).
Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi, and Justice Irfan Saadat Khan were the other members of the bench.
The proceedings were made publicly accessible on the apex court’s official website and YouTube channel. Advocate Hamid Khan pleaded the case of former IHC judge before the bench.
The case was scheduled for an early hearing after Siddiqui submitted a miscellaneous application to the Supreme Court.
Regarding evidence against the alleged injustice, Siddiqui claimed that the evidence had already been provided, emphasizing that not denying the allegations was significant evidence itself. When asked about freeing the judiciary from external pressure, he suggested the Supreme Court form an inquiry commission to investigate.
Siddiqui, who was removed from his IHC position in 2018, had delivered a speech targeting intelligence agencies, accusing them of interfering in judicial work. Multiple references were filed against him, including accusations of extra expenses on a government residence and passing remarks during the Faizabad sit-in case in 2017.
Dismissed on October 11, 2018, following the SJC decision, Siddiqui challenged his dismissal in 2018, and the case has been ongoing since then, with the latest hearing held on June 13, 2022. The former judge asked the top court to dismiss the dismissal notification.
The former judge, in an interview, expressed confidence in receiving “100% justice” despite the prolonged process.
