ISLAMABAD -- An Islamabad High Court judge who publicly accused the spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of meddling in and manipulating judicial decisions to influence the general election last July was removed from the bench Thursday (October 11).
President Arif Alvi sacked Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui with immediate effect, said a notification issued by the Ministry of Law and Justice.
The role of the military and of the ISI in politics is rarely discussed openly in Pakistan. Siddiqui, however, had accused the ISI in a pre-election public speech of being "fully involved in manipulating the judicial process".
The military subsequently asked the supreme court to probe Siddiqui's allegations.
On Thursday, the Supreme Judicial Council -- the country's top body of judges -- said Siddiqui had "displayed conduct unbecoming of a judge of a High Court and was thus guilty of misconduct".
