LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Thursday issued a formal notification regarding removal of district and sessions judge Arshad Malik from service.

The ex-judge had convicted former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in a reference of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), while acquitting him in another and was later found involved in a video tape scandal.

The seven-member administration committee of the LHC headed by Chief Justice Muhammad Qasim Khan had on July 3 approved removal of the judge after an inquiry held by a judge of the high court found him guilty of professional misconduct.

The ex-judge was proceeded against under Punjab Civil Servants (Efficiency & Disciplinary) Rules 1990 on charge of misconduct.

The notification issued by Registrar Bahadar Ali Khan said: “The chief justice and judges as authority, after considering the reply to final show cause notice, affording him an opportunity of being heard in person and having found the accused officer being guilty of the aforesaid charge, while declining his representations as well as request for retirement, hereby impose major penalty of dismissal from service upon Mr Muhammad Arshad Malik, district and sessions judge/OSD Lahore.”

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz had accused Malik, being judge of an Islamabad accountability court, of convicting Nawaz Sharif in Al-Azizia reference under duress.

However, Malik alleged that he had been blackmailed by some PML-N supporters. He had acquitted Mr Sharif in Flagship reference.

On July 6, 2019, PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz had presented some secretly recorded video clips of Malik at a press conference.

She had claimed that the judge in the video admitted before a PML-N loyalist, Nasir Butt, that he had convicted Nawaz unjustly as there was immense pressure on him.

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

The Islamabad High Court on Aug 22, 2019, suspended the judge from service and repatriated him to his parent department (LHC) for further proceedings.

Published in Dawn, August 7th, 2020