Bhagwandas will be ACJ on return: Pak Law Minister

Islamabad, Mar 18 (UNI) Pakistan Law Minister Wasi Zafar said that Justice Rana Bhagwands will be made the acting Chief Justice of Pakistan as soon as he returns home.

The Minister said Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry had been sent on leave from March 9 under Section 2 of the Judges Compulsory Leave Order, 1970, the 'Daily Times' today reported.

Meanwhile, the current Acting Chief Justice Javed Iqbal also said that Justice Bhagwandas would become the acting Chief Justice on his return.

''Under the prevailing circumstances, I took the decision to accept the post of ACJP,'' he told reporters here yesterday, media reports said.

Justice Bhagwandas is the seniormost judge of the country's apex court after the Chief Justice was sacked by President Pervez Musharraf on charges of misusing his post. The matter is before the Supreme Judicial Council.

However, mystery surrounds the whereabouts of Justice Bhagwandas, who was said to be on a visit to India.

A petition was filed in the Supreme Court on Thursday, asking it to direct the government to disclose where the judge was.

The petition, filed by Moulvi Iqbal Haider under Article 184(3) of the Constitution as a matter of public importance, expressed concern over a BBC Urdu News item which said Justice Bhagwandas was not in India and the Pakistani High Commission there did not know about his visit or his whereabouts.

''The nation is worried and wants to know about the whereabouts of Bhagwandas. Besides, it is the responsibility of the government and the Foreign Affairs Ministry to give information on the whereabouts of the Judge and his health, safety and security,'' Mr Haider said in the petition.

According to the BBC news report attached with the petition, when Justice Bhagwandas' brother Sri Chand was contacted in Karachi, he could only confirm that the Judge left Karachi for New Delhi, but said he knew nothing about his whereabouts. The report also quoted some judges of the Indian Supreme Court as saying that Justice Bhagwandas did come to India, but had gone back to Pakistan.

The petition said that in the given situation, it was the responsibility of the government to clear this situation. The Federal government, Foreign Affairs Ministry and Justice Bhagwandas have been made respondents to the petition.

UNI