ISLAMABAD – The Supreme Court have issued notices to former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) director-general Faiz Hameed and others in a case related to removal of former Islamabad High Court (IHC) judge Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui.

The apex court also issued notices to former IHC chief justice Anwar Khan Kasi, former registrar of the Supreme Court Arbab Muhammad Arif and Brigadier (retd) Irfan Ramay.

A five-member bench headed by CJP Qazi Faez Isa and comprising Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi and Justice Irfan Saadat Khan conducted hearing on Justice Siddiqui’s plea against his removal.

The development comes a day after Justice Siddiqui filed a separate petition in the Supreme Court to make ex-army chief Gen (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa, former spymaster Lt Gen (retd) Faiz Hameed and others parties in a case related to his dismissal.

The petition was filed after the apex court gave him one day to nominate those who have been accused in its main plea.

The case was taken up by the apex court after the judge filed a miscellaneous petition seeking early hearing of his plea against the Supreme Judicial Commission’s (SJC) decision of removing him from the post.

During today’s hearing, CJP Isa remarked that former army chief could not be served a notice since he was not directly involved in the matter.

At one point, former judge Sidduqi’s lawyer alleged that Faiz Hameed wanted to keep Nawaz Sharif in jail till elections 2018.

Later, the chief justice said the petition had made serious allegations therefore a chance must be given to the parties to submit their replies. He also directed the petitioner amend his plea and resubmit it within a week.

It is recalled that the former judge was removed from his position in the IHC for his July 2018 speech wherein he had accused the officials of intelligence agencies of interreference in the judicial work.

Subsequently, multiple references were filed against him in the SJC. Later the SJC dismissed him from the job.