President Asif Ali Zardari approved the decision on Friday to notify former Islamabad High Court (IHC) judge Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui of his retirement in view of the Supreme Court’s ruling.
The Supreme Court ruled last month that Justice Siddiqui’s removal was unlawful and that he can now be regarded as a retired judge. In a 23-page ruling, a five-member panel of the supreme court led by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Fazi Isa issued the ruling.
The President’s Secretariate released a statement stating that the notice will take effect on June 30, 2021, which is the day Justice Siddiqui was slated to retire.
“In light of the ruling on March 22, 2024 by the Supreme Court of Pakistan, President Asif Ali Zardari has approved Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui’s retirement notification upon reaching the age of superannuation, i.e., effective June 30, 2021.”
It is important to note that in October 2018, Justice Siddiqui was removed from his position as judge of the IHC by then-president Arif Alvi, following the Supreme Judicial Council’s (SCJ) recommendation.
Nonetheless, the five-member supreme court bench led by Chief Justice Prashant Isa pointed out that the SJC moved forward with the case against Justice Siddiqui with the “assumption that the truth or falseness of the allegations levelled” by the former judge was “irrelevant.”.
