Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui, a former judge the Islamabad High Court (IHC), has claimed that former spymaster General (retired) Faiz Hamid had persuaded some members of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) to spare Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi from a legal reference.
In an interview with a private news channel, the former judge said that former chief justice Saqib Nisar was in charge of the recommendation against Justice Naqvi before the council. He told the interviewer that Justices Asif Khosa and Gulzar Ahmed were also on the bench.
Siddiqui claimed that Saqib Nisar was called by the former head of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), General Faiz Hamid, asking him to drop the charges against "our man."
Nisar said that he had no issues with the request and instructed Hamid to ask Justice Khosa to step out from the bench, which he did.
He said, "Justice Mazahar Naqvi was very close to Faiz Hamid, and he was the one who brought him from the Lahore High Court to the Supreme Court out-of-turn."
Justice Mazahar Naqvi presided over the LHC panel that overturned Justice Waqar Seth's ruling.
It is significant to note that the SJC has not yet scheduled a hearing for any of the referrals that have been brought against the SC judge.
Justice Naqvi was a judge of the Lahore High Court, where he spent over 10 years before being elevated to the Supreme Court of Pakistan on March 16, 2020.
He was implicated after an audio of a call between him and former Punjab chief minister Parvez Elahi.
In an interview with a private news channel, the former judge said that former chief justice Saqib Nisar was in charge of the recommendation against Justice Naqvi before the council. He told the interviewer that Justices Asif Khosa and Gulzar Ahmed were also on the bench.
Siddiqui claimed that Saqib Nisar was called by the former head of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), General Faiz Hamid, asking him to drop the charges against "our man."
Nisar said that he had no issues with the request and instructed Hamid to ask Justice Khosa to step out from the bench, which he did.
He said, "Justice Mazahar Naqvi was very close to Faiz Hamid, and he was the one who brought him from the Lahore High Court to the Supreme Court out-of-turn."
Justice Mazahar Naqvi presided over the LHC panel that overturned Justice Waqar Seth's ruling.
It is significant to note that the SJC has not yet scheduled a hearing for any of the referrals that have been brought against the SC judge.
Justice Naqvi was a judge of the Lahore High Court, where he spent over 10 years before being elevated to the Supreme Court of Pakistan on March 16, 2020.
He was implicated after an audio of a call between him and former Punjab chief minister Parvez Elahi.