Pakistan

Respite: Ex-CJP gets to keep bulletproof car for two more weeks

If the petitioners win the case, the vehicle will remain in use of the judge-turned politician

Our Correspondent December 06, 2016

It was reported on October 31, 2009, the PPP-led government had offered a second plot to the former CJP but he had declined the offer. PHOTO: FILE

ISLAMABAD: The former top judge of Pakistan has effectively leveraged his experience to continue his taxpayer-funded free ride in a government-provided bulletproof car.

An Islamabad High Court (IHC) division bench on Tuesday suspended the December 2 direction by a single bench to produce the car in court as case property.

With the suspension and further directions to the respondents to submit a reply within a fortnight by Justice Noorul Haq N Qureshi and Justice Aamer Farooq, the bulletproof vehicle may take a long ride before it is surrendered before the court or returned to the state.

However, if the petitioners win the case, the vehicle will remain in use of the judge-turned politician. For the time being, a labyrinth of rules and regulations has provided space for former Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry to keep the vehicle in his possession.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 7^th, 2016.