Abul Hasnat Zulqarnain

Abul Hasnat Muhammad Zulqarnain (Urdu: ابُو الحسنات محمد ذُوالقرنین), is a Pakistani jurist who is a District and Sessions Judge in the service of Islamabad Judicial Service.^[1]

Abul Hasnat Zulqarnain
ابُو الحسنات ذُوالقرنین
Personal details
Nationality	Pakistani
Relations	M.AMEER SULTAN CH (SON)

Career

Prior to his appointment as a judge in the District and Sessions Court, Zulqarnain served as a judge in an Anti-Terrorism Court.^[2]

In December 2022, he was appointed to a three-year deputation by the Lahore High Court (LHC), during which his services were placed at the disposal of the Islamabad High Court (IHC).^[3] He succeeded Yar Mohammad Gondal as the special judge of the banking court in Islamabad.^[3]

Zulqarnain is facing allegations of misconduct, which may result in his repatriation to his parent department, the Lahore High Court (LHC). The Islamabad High Court (IHC) initiated this process following a contentious judicial decision and observations, wherein he granted an adjournment to a defendant in a bail petition, leading to discrepancies in the case proceedings.^[4]

Cases

He presided over the cypher case involving former Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan and former Foreign Minister of Pakistan Shah Mehmood Qureshi at Adiala Jail.^[5] On January 30, 2024, he sentenced both individuals to ten years in prison.^[6] In June 2024, his decision was dismissed by the Islamabad High Court.^[7]