GUJAR KHAN: Former accountability court judge Mohammad Arshad Malik succumbed to Covid-19 on Friday.

Mr Arshad had contracted Covid-19 three weeks ago and was under treatment at Al-Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad and had been on ventilator for the last three days.

According to the family sources, his funeral will be offered today (Saturday) at 2pm in his native village Arjan near Mandra. He is survived by two sons and two daughters.

The former accountability court judge first came to the limelight when he convicted former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills reference in 2018.

In 2019, Mr Malik was embroiled in a controversial video scandal unveiled by the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz Vice President Maryam Nawaz, in which he was purportedly heard confessing to a PML-N worker Nasir Butt that he was ‘blackmailed’ into convicting Nawaz Sharif in the case.

Following the leak, an administrative committee of Lahore High Court dismissed the judge in July from the service for misconduct.

The law ministry barred him from serving as an accountability court judge.

On Oct 2, the former accountability court judge challenged his removal in the LHC. He contended that the rules and the regulations for the dismissal were not met, the management committee had prepared a report contrary to the facts and that the misconduct was not committed. He requested the decision o be reconsidered.

A three member tribunal was constituted to hear the former judge’s plea.

Published in Dawn, December 5th, 2020