by Liaqat Ali Advocate
Justice Shaukat Siddiqui of Islamabad High Court yearns to thrust himself in media limelight. As a judge, his decisions are prone to tilt towards his personal dogma and understanding of religion rather than on statue and constitution.
Justice Shaukat Siddiqui was considered a close collaboration of former chief justice Iftkhar Chaudhary. He had actively participated in campaign to restore judiciary. He had been elected president of Rawalpindi Bar. He had contested for National Assembly election on the ticket of MMA(notorious among public as military mullah alliance) on the quota of JI and was defeated.
In 2007, he was defense attorney of Lal Masjid firebrand clerk Abdul Aziz. Former chief justice Iftkhar Chaudhary was very generous towards his cohorts.
Subsequently, he openly and generously rewarded his friends after his rehabilitation as a Chief Justice. Justice Shaukat Siddiqui’s opponents claim that his induction in judiciary as a judge is repayment of his activism.
Justice Shaukat Siddiqui was appointed as additional judge of IHC in 2011, on Punjab quota by virtue of his superseding kinship to Irfan Siddiqui, who was former advisor to former PM Nawaz Sharif.
Later, he was confirmed as permanent judge in IHC. Justice Shaukat Siddiqui was part of two member bench in Governor Taseer’s murder case, in which he removed all articles of terrorism but sustained Mumtaz Qadri’s death penalty.
Prominent legal experts opine that Judge Shaukat Siddiqui removed terrorism charges to avoid Mumtaz Qadri’s death penalty in case he is not acquitted in his appeal.
Justice Siddiqui came to limelight in media when he sent CDA officials to jail for not demolishing encroachment shacks of the poor in Islamabad. When he was appointed judge, he was allotted a house in F6/3 in Islamabad by the orders of PM Nawaz Sharif. But he did not like that house, then he was allotted another house in F7/3 that too, was not liked by him.
Eventually, he was allotted House No.2 in F7/4 that came up to his liking but then his secretary wrote a letter to CDA for its renovation and redecoration. And CDA spent Rs.12 million on its renovation and decoration according to his whims.
Judge Siddiqui is fond of pigeons, therefore new aviary, perch, coop & ace hole were built in his house on CDA exchequer. Muhammad Anwar Gopaang a director of CDA, has filed a complaint against Judge Shaukat Siddiqui’s lavish spending on the house on CDA exchequer in Supreme Judicial Council, that is not yet decided.
Like former chief justice Iftkhar, Justice Siddiqui can be included among those judges who can ignore the law for personal glorification and thrust in media limelight. And they damn care, how it affects Pakistan’s international image.
P.S. English translation of Liaqat Ali advocate’s Urdu Write-up. Translated by: Khalid Mahmood
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