Suspended Pakistan Chief Justice Iftikar Muhammad Chaudhry has been accused by the government of using influence to get quick promotions for his son, use of a fleet of cars, planes and helicopters and demanding protocol that he was not entitled to.Nearly a fortnight after he was suspended by President Pervez Musharraf for alleged misuse of authority and his case referred to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), the Pakistan media carried details of the charges against the Chief Justice.He has denied all the charges as baseless accusations. His lawyers say it was because of the “baseless nature” of the allegations that Chaudhry wanted the trial by the Council to be open.“Justice Chaudhry unlawfully used his position as a judge and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan to influence, harass and intimidate all concerned and compelled them to act in an unlawful manner,” the presidential reference to the Council said.It said PM Shaukat Aziz had received “information from several sources about the conduct of Chaudhry and passed it on to the President who directed the SJC to inquire into the matter. The main charge against him was that he committed “misconduct” by misusing his position “to gain undue advantage” for his son Dr Arsalan Iftikar and committed a number of “unlawful acts” by exhorting pressure on officials of various departments.Dr Iftikar, who secured a “C grade with 639 marks in his Intermediate Examination in 1996, was admitted to the college even though the cut-off marks was 750,” the reference said. He was later appointed as medical officer in the Institute of Public Health in Quetta in July, 2005, it said. Soon after his posting, a special order was reportedly issued by the Chief Minister to transfer him to the health department as section officer. Within a month, Iftikar was reportedly shifted to Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) through a special order where he was accommodated as assistant director. Later, he was posed as FIA deputy director in March 2006, in less than a year of his transfer to the department.The summary also accused Chaudhry of using a fleet of cars including 3000 cc Mercedes and a BMW even though he was entitled to use only 1600 cc cars. He was also accused of insisting on a police protocol which he was not entitled to.
