Peshawar High Court dismisses senior judge over misconduct

The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has dismissed a senior civil judge posted in Mardan after taking disciplinary action over misconduct and persistent inefficiency.

According to a notification issued by the PHC, disciplinary proceedings were initiated against Ijazul Haq Awan, Senior Civil Judge, Mardan, under the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Government Servants (Efficiency and Discipline) Rules, 2011. The action was taken on charges of persistent inefficiency and misconduct unbecoming of a judicial officer.

The court stated that the officer’s service record, along with his reply to the show-cause notice, was carefully examined. The reported instances were described as sufficient proof of his tainted character role – he carries since long time – with the repetition of such acts indicating habitual misconduct.

After providing due opportunity for defence, including a personal hearing, and upon evaluation of the service record and Performance Evaluation Reports, the accused officer was found guilty of the charges of inefficiency and misconduct, the PHC said.

Consequently, Chief Justice Syed Muhammad Attique Shah imposed the major penalty of dismissal from service on Ijazul Haq Awan with immediate effect.

A day earlier, the PHC on Friday declared key amendments introduced through the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police (Amendment) Act, 2024, unconstitutional, thereby restoring the operational independence of the provincial police force.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice S. M. Attique Shah and Justice Muhammad Ijaz Khan, while hearing Writ Petition No. 7810-P of 2025 (Barrister Muhammad Yousaf Khan vs Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and others), struck down the amendments made to the KP Police Act, 2017.

IGP authority reinforced

The Court struck down provisions that made postings of senior police officers (BS-18 and above) subject to the approval of the Chief Minister, and that removed the statutory authority of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to appoint field commanders.