Muhammad Bilal Khan

Muhammad Bilal Khan محمد بلال خان
2nd Chief Justice Islamabad High Court
In office March 7, 2009 – July 31, 2009
Nominated by	Asif Ali Zardari
Preceded by	Sardar Muhammad Aslam
Succeeded by	High court Dissolved
Justice Lahore High Court
In office September 3, 2003 – Present ( Between March 7, 2009 - July 31, 2009 was at now dissolved IHC)
Nominated by	Pervez Musharaf
Personal details
Born	May 12, 1949
Nationality	Pakistani
Religion	Islam

M. Bilal Khan (Urdu: محمد بلال خان) is the Justice of Lahore High Court in Pakistan.

Career

Mr. Khan was a practicing lawyer before the Supreme Court of Pakistan and the High Court. He has also served as an additional Advocate General of Punjab for almost 4 years.

Mr. Khan was appointed to Lahore High Court on September 3, 2003.^[1] and remained in that position until March 6, 2009.

On March 7, 2008, President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari appointed him as second Chief Justice of Islamabad High Court, where he succeeded Sardar Muhammad Aslam.^[2]

On July 31, 2009, a 14-person panel of the Supreme Court of Pakistan declared creation of Islamabad High Court as unconstitutional. Justice Khan returned to be Justice of Lahore High Court. Since he has also take oath on PCO 2007, in contravention of 7 panel Supreme Court decision, Justice Bilal Khan was referred to Supreme Judicial Council.

Controversies

PCO Oath

On November 3, 2007, Chief of Army Staff in Pakistan declared emergency and issued a Provisional Constitutional Order. A seven panel supreme court issued an order that declared the declaration of emergency illegal, and prohibited all judges to take oath on any PCO. Justice Khan was sitting judge in Lahore High Court and choose to take the oath on November 3, 2007.^[3] The other judges out of 31 who took oath with him were Syed Zahid Hussain Bokhari, Nasim Sikandar, Khalid Alvi, Sakhi Hussain Bokhari, Muzammal Khan, M Bilal Khan, Fazal-e-Miran Chohan, Syed Shabbar Raza Rizvi, Hamid Ali Shah, Tariq Shamim, Syed Asghar Haider and Hasnaat Ahmad Khan and Lahore High Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Hussain Chaudhry.

On July 31, 2009 a 14 panel of Supreme Court held that declaration of PCO on November 3, 2007 as illegal and referred cases of all judges who were part of higher judiciary on November 2, 2007 to Supreme Judicial Council.

Land Allotment

According to a list presented to the National Assembly of Pakistan by the Federal Government Employees Foundation through the then-Housing Minister Syed Safwanullah on April 27, 2007, Justice Bilal Khan is one of the 61 high court judges who were allotted plots in Sector G-14 of Islamabad.^[4]

Disqualification of Nawaz Sharif

On June 22, 2008, a three-member Lahore High Court bench composed of Justice M. Bilal Khan, Justice Abdul Shakoor Paracha and Justice Syed Shabbar Raza Rizvi, handed down a unanimous decision that disqualified Nawaz Sharif from contesting a by-election. The Court last ruled that Nawaz Sharif was not eligible to run in the upcoming parliamentary byelections because he has been convicted of a crime. Sharif brothers had refused to appear before the court and defend themselves by declaring that they do not recognize the justices' authority by labeling them "PCO Judges"^[5]

Relations with underground

In the judicial system of Pakistan, the Supreme Judicial Council is mandated to check misconduct, moral degradation and corruption in the higher echelon of the judiciary. For the first time in the country’s history, the Supreme Judicial Council has initiated suo moto proceedings against Mr Khan over allegations of involvement in murky activities including connections with the crime underworld.^[6]

References

1. ^ Lahore High Court
2. ^ Supreme Court judge, Chief Justice IHC Take Oath. Apakistannews.com (9 March 2009). Retrieved on September 14, 2011.
3. ^ Leading News Resource of Pakistan. Daily Times (4 November 2007). Retrieved on September 14, 2011.
4. ^ [1]^{[dead link]}
5. ^ Pakistan's Nawaz Sharif disqualified from by-elections (Roundup). Monsters and Critics (23 June 2008). Retrieved on September 14, 2011.
6. ^ Abdul Qayyum Siddiqui (April 3, 2009). "SJC goes for judge accused of links with criminals". The News. http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=21302. Retrieved July 3, 2009. ^{[dead link]}

External links

• Lahore High Court
• Official Site of Islamabad High Court

Legal offices
Preceded by Sardar Muhammad Aslam	Chief Justice of Islamabad High Court March 7, 2009 – July 31, 2009	Succeeded by Iqbal Hameed -ur-Rehman

Persondata
Name	Khan, Muhammad Bilal
Alternative names
Short description	Justice of Lahore High Court
Date of birth	May 12, 1949
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death