The law ministry has questioned the “unilateral transfer” of accountability courts’ judges by former Lahore High Court (LHC) chief justice Muhammad Qasim Khan.
Sources revealed to The Express Tribune that the ministry has written a letter to incumbent LHC Chief Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti questioning the transfer of the judges in the province of Punjab.
They said the chief justice is deliberating over the letter. Judges of the accountability courts – formed under the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO), 1999 to hear the references filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) – are appointed by the chief justice of each provincial high court in consultation with the law ministry.
However, the former LHC chief justice on March 31 unilaterally transferred 25 district and sessions judges in the province, including those hearing corruption cases filed against Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif and other PML-N leaders.
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Sources revealed to The Express Tribune that the ministry has written a letter to incumbent LHC Chief Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti questioning the transfer of the judges in the province of Punjab.
They said the chief justice is deliberating over the letter. Judges of the accountability courts – formed under the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO), 1999 to hear the references filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) – are appointed by the chief justice of each provincial high court in consultation with the law ministry.
However, the former LHC chief justice on March 31 unilaterally transferred 25 district and sessions judges in the province, including those hearing corruption cases filed against Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif and other PML-N leaders.
Souce