Personal reasons: Justice Siddiqui recuses himself

Justice Siddiqui recuses himself from hearing the case challenging a nationwide crackdown launched by security forces

ISLAMABAD: Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui of the Islamabad High Court on Tuesday recused himself from hearing a case which challenged a nationwide crackdown launched by security forces in which over 100 suspected terrorists were reportedly killed.

When the case was taken up, Justice Siddiqui recused himself from hearing the case, citing personal reasons. He sent the case to IHC chief justice to assign it to any other bench.

Petitioner Ihtesham Ahmad, a trustee of the Shohada Foundation of Pakistan, had requested the court - through his counsel Tariq Asad - to direct authorities to provide a list of names of those who have been killed in the recent anti-terror operations with complete details on how the suspects were killed and the grounds for killing them without due process of law.

Ahmad had named the federation through the secretary of interior and the secretary of defence as respondents in the petition.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 22^nd, 2017.