LAHORE: A seven-member administration committee of the Lahore High Court held a closed-door meeting on Monday to decide the fate of Islamabad accountability court’s former judge Arshad Malik, who was suspended last week over the video leak controversy.

Decisions taken at the meeting will be made public on Tuesday (today), according to the court’s public relations office. Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Shamim headed the meeting.

The Islamabad High Court suspended, and repatriated, district & sessions judge Arshad Malik to the LHC, his parent department, for disciplinary proceedings.

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

The PML-N accuses judge Malik of convicting former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in the Al Azizia reference under duress. However, the judge claims he was blackmailed by PML-N supporters.

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

Published in Dawn, August 27th, 2019