LAHORE: Lahore High Court Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Shamim Khan has convened a meeting of the administration committee for Aug 26 to take up the matter of Islamabad accountability court’s former judge Arshad Malik who was suspended over a video leak controversy.

“The administration committee will ponder action to be taken against judge Arshad Malik,” said a statement released to the media by the public relations officer of the LHC.

The Islamabad High Court, the other day, had suspended and repatriated District & Sessions Judge Arshad Malik to the LHC, the parent department, for disciplinary proceedings.

“The disclosure and admission made by Mr Muhammad Arshad Malik, district & sessions judge/former judge accountability court-II Islamabad in a press release dated July 7, 2019 and the affidavit dated July 11, 2019, prima facie, constitute acts of misconduct and violation of the code of conduct, which warrant initiation of disciplinary proceedings against him,” said a Thursday’s notification issued by the IHC acting registrar.

It is worth mentioning that the Supreme Court while hearing petitions related to the video leak had on Tuesday termed the conduct of judge Malik ‘shameful’ and asked why the law ministry had not transferred him back to the LHC. The apex court had observed that it appeared that the law ministry was giving refuge to the controversial judge.

The PML-N had accused Mr Malik of convicting former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in the Al-Azizia reference under duress; however, the judge claimed that he had been blackmailed by the PML-N supporters.

After PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz released video clips of judge Malik at a press conference, the IHC had summoned the accountability judge and directed him to submit an affidavit to explain his position.

Later, Mr Malik, in his affidavit, stated that he had been blackmailed by the PML-N supporters because of an ‘immoral video’ and admitted that he had met Mr Sharif at his Jati Umra residence and Hussain Nawaz in Saudi Arabia.

Published in Dawn, August 24th, 2019