Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Additional Attorney General (AAG) Afnan Karim Kundi has said that former chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) Iftikahr Muhammad Chuadhry is enjoying ‘unauthorised privileges’ after his retirement.

The ex-CJP was given a Honda Accord 2400cc at depreciated price as per his entitlement on retirement but a bulletproof car was also provided to him for only three months with the approval of prime minister, the AAG told the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

He said that the bulletproof car was not given to him for lifetime but it is still with him and had cost the national exchequer for Rs 4 million on account of its maintenance and fuel till date.

The AAG was arguing before the two-member IHC bench in an intra-court appeal (ICA) filed by the federal government claiming back the bulletproof car provided to the former chief justice.

He said that after the retirement of justice Iftikhar, Justice Tassadiq Hussain Jillani assumed the august office and the then registrar of the apex court wrote a letter to the government for the provision of a bulletproof car for him but he refused to accept it. By keeping the bulletproof car with him justice Chaudhry is setting a precedent that the government would have to provide this facility to every judge, which is not possible, he added.

He further said that the Anti-Terrorist Court (ATC) judges deserved more than the retired justices because of the security concerns but they are also not entitled even for the bulletproof vehicles.

Kundi said that every citizen has the right of self-defence under fundamental rights and no one could be given favours.

He asked the court that the ex-CJP is now a normal citizen of Pakistan and a politician as well then how the government could treat him differently.