Former chief justice Jawad S. Khawaja has taken a noteworthy stance by filing a petition in the Supreme Court, challenging Justice Tariq Masood’s participation in a bench hearing appeals against trials in military courts.
Khawaja, in his filed petition, expressed reservations about Justice Masood’s prior opinion on applications related to military courts. He called for Justice Masood’s exclusion from the bench on military court appeals, proposing the formation of a fresh bench by the judges’ committee for these proceedings.
The petition outlined that both Justice Faiz Isa and Justice Tariq Masood had recused themselves from a 9-member bench hearing these cases. Justice Masood’s previous opinion, signed on June 26, deemed the petitions against military courts inadmissible.
Khawaja argued that the law in question should have first been challenged in the High Court and contended that having Justice Masood oversee appeals linked to military courts goes against justice principles. He urged to halt the bench, headed by Justice Masood, from adjudicating on intra-court appeals.
