Inappropriate Phone Call
Former Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial, just before retiring earlier this month, made a phone call to Supreme Court Justice Sardar Tariq Masood to discuss complaints against fellow judges of the apex court, as reported on Monday.
Justice Masood wrote a letter to Justice Bandial, the Chief Justice at the time, the day after the call.
Justice Masood also dispatched copies of the letter to members of the Supreme Judicial Council. The essence of the letter is Justice Masood’s disapproval of Justice Bandial’s phone call, during which he asked Justice Masood what to do with a complaint against himself.
The letter stated that the phone call was inappropriate, and it would have been more appropriate to refer the complaint to the Supreme Judicial Council. Otherwise, Justice Masood could face additional allegations of seeking favors from the then-CJ.
Sources indicate that on the night of September 5, 2023, Justice Masood received a phone call from CJ Bandial. The two justices had a conversation that turned somewhat bitter, and the call eventually ended on that note.
This appeared to be a final attempt by the former Chief Justice to resolve the issue of complaints against fellow judges of the Supreme Court.
During the phone conversation, the former Chief Justice reportedly offered Justice Masood a resolution: withdrawing a pending complaint against another judge in exchange for resolving the complaint against Justice Masood.
Sources indicate that Justice Masood conveyed his dissatisfaction in a letter to Justice Bandial the following day, expressing his concern about the former CJ’s direct call rather than referring the matter to the Supreme Judicial Council.
In addition to sending the letter to (former) CJ Bandial, Justice Masood also sent copies of the letter to members of the Supreme Judicial Council.
Justice Masood’s letter
Justice Masood’s letter, dated September 6, reads:
“Mr. Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Honorable Chief Justice of Pakistan, Islamabad.
Dear Sir,
Yesterday, you spoke to me on the phone and informed me that a complaint against me was submitted by Mrs. Amina Malik, and you asked me what to do with it. Sir, with the greatest of respect, I do not think it was appropriate for you to have talked to me about the said complaint. Sir, your talking to me has placed me in a most embarrassing position.
Under the circumstances, it would be best if the said complaint is placed for consideration before the Supreme Judicial Council as I do not want an additional accusation of seeking favor to be leveled against me. I am confident that the Council will attend to it in accordance with the constitution and the law, and if the complaint is false and intended to malign me, then the Council will act pursuant to clause 14 of the Supreme Judicial Council (Procedure of Inquiry), 2005.
Yours very sincerely,
Justice Tariq Masood”
Justice Masood reportedly also sent copies of his letter to the current members of the Supreme Judicial Council, which includes Justice Qazi Faez Isa, Justice Ijaz ul Ahsan, the Chief Justice of the Sindh High Court, and the Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court
