Judge Bashir again applies for leave till retirement

Islamabad: The Accountability Court judge Muhammad Bashir does not want to work anymore and once again he has applied for leave till his retirement in March, reportedly.

He is the judge who recently sentenced Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi to 14 years in prison. He was also hearing another National Accountability (NAB) reference (190 million pounds case) against Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi.

It is reported that Judge Bashir has submitted an application for leave till his retirement citing health reasons.

Due to the nature and pressure of work, Judge Bashir is suffering from hypertension. Within the last 10 to 15 days, he has submitted a leave application for the second time. Last week, he submitted his application for leave, but on Saturday he withdrew his application and the reason for this was allegedly rejection by the Ministry of Law. This week, he had sentenced Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi in the Tosha Khana case.

After that, Judge Bashir left the court room due to his bad health and was treated by doctors at Adiala Jail Hospital.

On Wednesday, he heard Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi in the Tosha Khana case, but is still hearing important NAB cases, including Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi's involvement in the £190 million scam.

He is also hearing another Tosha Khana reference against former Prime Ministers Nawaz Sharif and Yusuf Raza Gilani and against former President Asif Ali Zardari.

The same judge is also hearing the case of fake accounts against Zardari and a NAB case against former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.

Earlier on January 20, Judge Bashir applied for medical leave till his retirement on March 14 citing ill health. In the letter sent to the Islamabad High Court (IHC) and the Ministry of Law and Justice, the judge had stated that he could not perform his duties due to his unsound mind. However, the Ministry of Law and Justice did not approve their request.

After the plea was rejected, the judge withdrew his plea saying that he was now fine and could fulfill his duties. A day after delivering his verdict in the Tosha Khana case on Thursday, February 1, Judge Bashir once again applied for medical leave until his retirement.

Judge Bashir has been working in the accountability court since 2012. In 2018, he convicted Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Captain Safdar in the Avenfield case. Earlier in November 29, 2023, the IHC quashed the decision.

Accountability Court judges are generally appointed for three years, but Judge Bashir has been serving in the NAB Court for 11 years. His tenure was extended by former prime ministers Nawaz Sharif in 2018 and Imran Khan in 2021. Both the Prime Ministers were sentenced by the same judge who was twice extended in office by the respective Prime Ministers during their respective tenures.