In a significant development on March 22, 2024, the Supreme Court of Pakistan overturned the Supreme Judicial Council’s decision to dismiss former Islamabad High Court judge Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui. This decision was related to a speech in which Siddiqui had alleged that judicial proceedings in the Panama case were being manipulated by the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency.
Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa authored the 23-page written order, which stated, “The SJC’s Report/Opinion, dated 11 October 2018, which was submitted to the President and the Notification No. F.9(2)/2018-A.II, dated 11 October 2018, stated to have been issued on the advice of the Prime Minister and his Cabinet of Ministers are set aside. Consequently, Justice Siddiqui shall be deemed to have retired as a Judge of the Islamabad High Court and he will be entitled to receive all the benefits and privileges due to a retired Judge, by allowing these petitions in the above terms.”
Siddiqui had filed a petition challenging his removal, which was heard by a five-judge larger bench headed by Chief Justice Isa. The other members of the bench were Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, and Justice Irfan Saadat Khan.
