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In a shocking development, the Pakistan Supreme Court's senior-most judge, Ijaz Ul Ahsan, resigned on Thursday, a day after Justice Mazahar Ali Naqvi resigned from office, marking significant changes in the leadership structure of the top court.
Ahsan, who would become the next chief justice of Pakistan after Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa, has sent his resignation to President Arif Alvi, which has raised concerns over his untimely departure. This comes a day after Justice (retd) Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi's resignation, which has also been accepted by President Arif Alvi. Reportedly, Ahsan would have become the chief justice, the highest judicial office in the country that comes with supreme power, after CJP Isa's term concluded in October this year, according to Geo News. Moreover, both judges were considered 'close' to former CJP Umar Ata Bandial, with analysts noting that the jurists were involved in issuing controversial orders--along with another judge, Justice Munib Akhtar. Raising concerns, senior anchorperson Shahzeb Khanzada wondered why a person who would become the CJP in 10 months would resign prematurely. "If he feared that he would face charges, then he should have stayed and faced them like Qazi Faez Isa did," Khanzada said. Earlier in April last year, a lawyer filed a reference before the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) against then-CJP Bandial and three other judges--Justice Ahsan, Justice Akhtar, and Justice Naqvi. Moreover, Ahsan was also a part of the infamous Panama Papers bench that disqualified Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif, Geo News reported. He was also appointed to oversee the proceedings of the references that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has been asked to file by the top court against Nawaz, his family members, and former finance minister Ishaq Dar. Meanwhile, legal expert Reema Omer said, "His jurisprudence has always remained controversial. He has not passed orders that are worth praising." (ANI)
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