Kohat judge made OSD, suspended day after filing reference against CJP

Ahmed Sultan Tareen had submitted a complaint of misconduct against the top judge in SJC

PESHAWAR: A district and session judge from Kohat, who filed a reference against Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar in the Supreme Judicial Council on Tuesday, was made an officer on special duty (OSD) and suspended from services in one single notification issued on Wednesday.

According to the Peshawar High Court (PHC) notification, Ahmed Sultan Tareen was not only transferred and posted as the OSD in Peshawar, but also ‘suspended immediately’.

Tareen was replaced with District and Sessions Judge at Customs, Taxation and Anti-Smuggling Court Peshawar Shoiab Khan ‘in public interest’.

Tareen submitted yesterday a complaint of misconduct against the top judge, who is also the chairman of the Supreme Judicial Council.

The complaint said that the CJP’s present-day conduct has exposed him as lacking most of the qualities of a judge enumerated in Article-II of the Code of Conduct issued by the SJC in 2009.



The complainant had also referred Article-V of the Code of Conduct, which requires of a judge that he should not engage in any public controversy, least of all on a political question, notwithstanding that it involves a question of law.

The complainant also said: “If he had no political ambitions, he, instead of desiring things for the people of Pakistan, which are not his domain to ensure, should have thought about the failing of judicial system mainly due to ineffectiveness of the courts in providing justice in context of Article 10-A read with clause (d) of Article 37 of the Constitution of Pakistan.”

Tareen went on to say that recently, the CJP held a meeting with the prime minister in his chamber without disclosing the agenda.  “If he claims to be the custodian of the Constitution of Pakistan, he should have regard for Article 19-A of the Constitution, which guarantees the right of citizens to have access to information in matters of public importance, the complaint states.

“Not disclosing the agenda of his meeting with the prime minister violates the fundamental rights of citizens.”