IHC issues notice to 7 in former CJP vehicle case

Author: APP

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday issued notices to the Cabinet Division, law and defence ministries and four other respondents.

A petitioner has challenged through an intra-court appeal the government’s decision to give a bulletproof vehicle to former chief justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry.

A division bench of the IHC consisting of Justice Noorul Haq Qureshi and Justice Aamir Farooq heard the case. During the proceedings, Additional Attorney General Afnan Karim Kundi represented the government, while Sheikh Ahsan-ud-Din and Tofique Asif represented the former chief justice.

During the proceedings, Justice Qureshi remarked that respondents in the case would not be finalised until the case is heard.

Kundi pleaded that Ahsan-ud-Din and Asif filed the petition as representatives of a lawyers’ body, which had no right of locus standee. However, he said, the former chief justice never approached the court in this regard. He informed the bench that the Interior Ministry gave the bulletproof car to Chaudhry after the then registrar of the Supreme Court wrote a letter to the ministry. He said the Cabinet Division was the department concerned in this case, but it was not onboard on this matter.

Justice Farooq said the petitioners made the federation respondent in the case; therefore, there was no need to make ministries respondents in the case.

After hearing the arguments at length, the court issued a notice to seven respondents and directed them to appear before the judge and record their statements.

Subsequently, the bench adjourned the case till February 17.