Judges hearing cases of Rana Sanaullah, Sharifs repatriated to Lahore High Court – Pakistan

Three judges of the accountability court who heard the cases of Rana Sanaullah, as well as several members of the Sharif family, were repatriated and ordered on Friday to appear before the Lahore High Court (LHC).

The LHC registrar sent a notice to Judges Masood Arshad, Mohammad Naeem Arshad and Mushtaq Elahi.

According to the notice in accordance with a notification of August 26 issued by the law ministry, "the honorable president of the court has been pleased to repatriate him and order him to appear immediately in this court to receive more orders."

No reason has been mentioned in the repatriation order of the judges.

Judge Masood Arshad had been serving in the special court for the control of narcotic substances (CNS) and had been listening to the case of Sanaullah. On August 28, he stopped the hearing halfway after hearing about his repatriation.

Sanaullah's lawyer, while talking with the media out of court, had said the development was unprecedented. "It seems that the government is trying to decide which judge they want the verdict from," he said.

Judge Mohammad Naeem Arshad had been presiding over the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case against Maryam Nawaz and his cousin Yousuf Abbas; the Ramzan Sugar Mills case against Shehbaz Sharif; and money laundering cases against Hamza Shehbaz and Salman Shehbaz. He had been commissioned to listen to these cases, since the chief judge was on summer vacations.

Judge Mushtaq Elahi had not heard any high profile cases. He, however, was in the banks listening to several cases of the National Responsibility Office.

The development takes place when former liability judge Arshad Malik is being investigated by the LHC for being at the center of a video leak scandal that made headlines in July.

The repatriation order of the judges is the same day, August 26, when an administration committee of seven members of the LHC held a closed meeting to decide the fate of Malik, who was suspended earlier that month.

An official statement on any decision made during the meeting has not yet been issued.