ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa has announced the verdict on a set of identical petitions seeking an inquiry into the controversial video involving the Accountability Court Judge Mohammad Arshad Malik.

The detailed verdict, the CJ said, has been made available on the Supreme Court's website for all the concerned.

The other members of the bench were Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed and Justice Umar Ata Bandial.

The judge, during today’s proceedings, remarked that there were five key questions before the bench to decide upon;

Is the video authentic?

If the video is authentic how can it be proven and on what forum?

What impact will the video have on Nawaz Sharif’s case?

What will be the impact of the video on the judge’s career?

Which is the right forum to review the conduct of Judge Arshad Malik?

Hearing the case the other day, Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa had ruled that the court will announce the verdict in two to three days. The CJP observed that owing to the conduct of the judge, the heads of judges hung in shame.

He further observed that the judge had confessed in his affidavit and press release to have met with the convicted persons and questioned as to why the federal government had not yet repatriated him to the Lahore High Court so that he could be proceeded against in accordance with the law.

He had further asked Attorney General Anwar Mansoor Khan as to why the federal government was protecting the judge and keeping him in the federal capital instead of repatriating him to the LHC.

Attorney General, however, replied that Arshad Malik had not been repatriated to Punjab, as he was being interrogated in the matter.

Action ordered against judge

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday ordered to repatriate former judge of Accountability Court-II Arshad Malik to Lahore High Court (LHC) so that disciplinary action could be initiated against him for violating code of conduct.

The notification, issued by IHC Registrar, stated, “The disclosures and admissions made by Muhammad Arshad Malik, District & Sessions Judge/Former Judge, Accountability Court-II, Islamabad in his press release dated 07.07.2019 and the affidavit dated 11.07.2019, prima facie, constitute acts of misconduct and violation of the code of conduct, which warrant initiation of disciplinary proceedings against him.

“Therefore, the chief justice of this court has been pleased to order to place the said Judicial Officer under suspension and repatriate to his parent department i.e. Lahore High Court, Lahore, with immediate effect, for disciplinary proceedings to be conducted in accordance with law.”

Investigations into ‘immoral video’

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) team has served another questionnaire to Judge Arshad Malik seeking answers of some fifty questions how "his Multan video was compromised and manipulated into immoral video."

The investigation team sent fresh but very tough questionnaire to former Islamabad Accountability Court Judge Arshad Malik in an effort to find detailed answers of 46 questions linked to his multiple meetings with ex-premier Nawaz Sharif, his son Hussain Nawaz Sharif and around a dozen other persons, who have been meeting the said judge in past three years. —INP