LHC Justice Shahid Jamil Khan tenders resignation citing personal reasons

LAHORE/ISLAMABAD, Feb 02 (SABAH): Justice Shahid Jamil Khan has stepped down as a judge of Lahore High Court (LHC) citing personal reasons, it emerged on Friday.

The LHC judge has sent his resignation to President Dr. Arif Alvi for approval. He was to retire in 2029 and was in line to become the chief justice in the future.

“I, Justice Shahid Jamil Khan, after having served as a Judge of Lahore High Court, Lahore for about ten years, hereby exercise the option to resign under Article 206(1) of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1973 with immediate effect,” he wrote in the resignation letter.

“It was absolute honor to hold the office, but for personal circumstances I have decided to turn the page and start a new chapter,” he added.

The outgoing judge also cited proverb in the resignation letter: “An ounce of discretion is worth a pound of wit”.

Justice Shahid Jamil Khan also wrote verses of poetry of Dr. Allama Muhammad Iqbal

Azad ki Aik Aan hai Mahkoom ka aik saal
Kis darja Garan aseer hain mahkoom ke aukaat!

Azad ka andesha haqeeqat se munawwar
Mahkoom ka andehsa girftar kharafaat

Mahkoom ko peeron ki karamaat ka sauda
Hai banda azad khud aik zinda karamaat

Iqbal! Yahan Naam na le ilm-e-khudi ka
Mauzoon nahin maktab ke lie aise maqalaat

Last month, two judges of the Supreme Court of Pakistan — Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi — stepped down from the post.

Ahsan, the third senior-most judge of the apex court, had said in his resignation to President Dr. Arif Alvi that he wished not to continue as the top court’s judge anymore.

His resignation came only two days after Justice Sayyed Naqvi’s stepped down from his after the apex court declined to halt the proceedings being conducted by the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) against him with the ruling that without hearing the case on merits, a stay cannot be granted.

The SJC, on October 27 last year, issued a show cause notice to Justice Mazahar amid various complaints alleging bench manipulation and financial misconduct by the SC judge.