Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Gulzar Ahmed has constituted three larger benches, three special benches and six regular benches at the principal seat in Islamabad to hear a number of important cases during the next week, starting from Monday.

On Monday, a five-member larger bench headed by Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Sardar Tariq Masood, Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan, Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel and Justice Sajjad Ali Shah will hear petition filed by former Islamabad High Court judge Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui against the federation, seeking setting aside of report/opinion of the Supreme Judicial Council and notification issued by the Ministry of Law dated October 11, 2018.

On Monday, a three-member special bench comprising Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed, Justice Mushir Alam and Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan will hear the petition challenging composition of Sugar Inquiry Commission and its report. On Tuesday, a five-member larger bench headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed and comprising Justice Maqbool Baqar, Justice Ijaz UL Ahsan, Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel and Justice Sajjad Ali Shah will hear service matters of different government employees.

On Tuesday, a three-member special bench comprising Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan and Justice Sajjad Ali Shah will hear petition filed by former President Asif Ali Zardari seeking transfer of NAB references pending adjudication before Accountability Court at Islamabad to Accountability Court Court, Karachi. On Wednesday, a three-member special bench comprising Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan and Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel will hear election petitions filed by different politicians.

On Thursday, a five-member larger bench headed by the chief justice and comprising Justice Maqbool Baqar, Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Yahya Afridi and Justice Amin-Ud-Din Khan will hear cases regarding Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police Department. The first bench is comprised of Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed, Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel and Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi while the second bench is comprised of Justice Mushir Alam, Justice Sardar Tariq Masood and Justice Amin-Ud-Din Khan.

The third bench is comprised of Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Munib Akhtar. Justice Qazi Faez Isa and Justice Yahya Afridi will be members of the fourth bench, while the fifth bench will consist of Justice Maqbool Baqar and Justice Qazi Muhammad Amin Ahmed. The sixth bench will comprise of Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan and Justice Sajjad Ali Shah.

The benches will hear many important cases including service and pension matters of government employees, educational institutions matters, labour cases, appeals against death sentences and life imprisonment, appeals against acquittal of accused in murder and corruption cases, bail appeals in NAB cases, election petitions of different politicians, suo moto case regarding rights of minorities, appeal of Jang Group Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman against an order passed by the Lahore High Court (LHC).

According to NAB, petitioner Mir Shakeel got composite block in MA Johar Town-II, Lahore of 54 Kanal land along with two streets/roads in violation of exemption policy of the Lahore Development Authority in league with his co-accused and cause loss of Rs 143,530,000/- to public exchequer, petition filed by Muhammad Nadeem Khan against six years sentence and according to NAB, petitioner Nadeem Khan, manager in Allied Bank, Quetta and has misappropriated Rs 15000 million of customers of the branch by way of issuing two fake scanned TDRs.

Pre-arrest bail plea filed by Abid Hussain Shah and according to NAB, the petitioner was government contractor in collusion with official of TMA Garhi Yasin made embezzlement of funds and caused loss to the government exchequer, Shrimati Mukhni and another against federation of Pakistan regarding investigation of brutal murder of Pakistani Hindus in India, matter regarding irregularities in allotment of official residences and poor condition of RCD Highway.

According to cause lists, no adjournment on any ground will be granted and no application for adjournment through fax will be placed before the court.  Furthermore, if the counsel is unable to appear for any reason, the advocate-on-record will be required to argue the case.