‘Reference against Justice Mazahar Ali Naqvi based on lies’

ISLAMABAD: A judicial reference, filed against Supreme Court (SC) Justice Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi in the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), is ‘based on lies’, ARY News reported on Friday, citing judge’s family sources.

Advocate Mian Dawood had filed a judicial reference against Supreme Court (SC) Justice Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi in the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), accusing him of “misconduct” and “amassing illegitimate assets”.

Sources within the family told ARY News that the reference against the SC judge was ‘malicious and misleading’, terming the leaked audio ‘cut-paste’ job.

Sources claimed that Justice Mazahar Naqvi and granddaughter were travelling in a private vehicle on November 10, 2022 when police intercepted them and misbehaved. “The police started making the video even after the judge stopped his vehicle,” they claimed.

“Later, senior police officers and Secretary Punjab Assembly Muhammad Khan Bhatti reached the spot,” sources said, adding that Muhammad Khan informed the then Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi about the incident.

Sources added that Pervaiz Elahi apologized to Justice Naqvi while talking on Muhammad Khan’s cellphone. “Pervaiz Elahi must have spoken to his lawyer in connection with a case”, family sources claimed, adding that an audio was created by editing Elahi’s conversation with his lawyer and Justice Naqvi.

Referring to Supreme Court’s sou motu notice, sources noted that senior judges were also part of the nine-member bench which was constituted by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial.

“The allegations levelled by Mian Dawood about facilitating daughter are completely false,” family sources claimed, adding that Justice Naqvi paid the fee in two installments from his salary account.

Sources added that allegations against Justice Naqvi about buying a house in Lahore Cantt were also ‘misleading’, alleging that the SC judge bought the house in Cantt after selling his house in Gujranwala and Lahore’s Gulberg area. “The house in Lahore Cantt is declared in his FBR tax returns”, sources added.

It is pertinent to mention here that a judicial reference was filed against Supreme Court Justice Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi in the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) on Thursday, accusing him of “misconduct” and “amassing illegitimate assets”.

The complaint against Justice Naqvi was filed by advocate Mian Dawood for allegedly violating the code of conduct for judges of the Supreme Court issued under Clause (8) of Article 209 of the Constitution.

The reference alleged that the judge used his “influence to facilitate” his sons and a daughter studying abroad and to get “financial gains” from Zahid Rafique, a businessman.