ISLAMABAD:
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has ordered the Higher Education Commission (IHC), the authority that regulates universities and degree-awarding institutions in the country, to produce the educational record of IHC judge Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Azam Khan on Tuesday issued this order while hearing a petition, accusing Justice Jahangiri of having a dubious law degree.
During the hearing, the court asked about the whereabouts of the court-appointed amicus curiae. Advocate Zafarullah Khan informed the court that he was present in compliance with the court’s instructions.
The lawyer for the Islamabad District Bar Association said the bar had filed an application to become a party in the case. The court responded that the application would be considered later, adding that the immediate priority was to obtain the educational record from the HEC judge.
“We are only asking the HEC for the file at this stage, without delving into the merits of the case,” said the TJ. The court subsequently adjourned the hearing indefinitely.
On September 16, the division bench, comprising Justice Dogar and Justice Khan, restrained Jahangiri from discharging his duties while issuing notices on the petition filed by advocate Mian Dawood.
Interestingly, the court also sought help from Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Usman Awan on the issue of whether the petition was maintainable.
He also appointed senior lawyers Barrister Zafarullah Khan and Ashtar Ali Ausaf as amici curiae.
The court noted that until the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) decided the matter, the judge could not handle the cases.
Subsequently, the IHC judge and several of his colleagues filed a petition before the Supreme Court, which on September 30 quashed the division bench’s interim order.
Meanwhile, the court was reconstituted and Justice Khadim Hussian Soomro replaced Justice Muhammad Azam Khan. However, when the new court resumed hearing the case on October 28, Justice Soomro recused himself citing personal reasons.
Last year, the Karachi University union canceled the title of IHC judge.
On September 25, after the IHC prevented the judge from exercising his duties, the university also issued a notice confirming its union’s decision.
