ISLAMABAD: Justice Qazi Faez Isa took oath as 29th Chief Justice of Pakistan.

He was administered oath of office by President Arif Alvi during ceremony at Aiwan-i-Sadr here. Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar and Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir were in attendance.

Born in Quetta on October 26, 1959 he is son of late Qazi Muhammad Isa of Pishin, who was in forefront of Pakistan Movement and close associate of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

Justice Isa’s father was first person from province to acquire Bar-at-Law degree and helped establish All India Muslim League in Balochistan after his return from London. His father had served as only member on Central Working Committee of All India Muslim League from Balochistan. Begum Saida Isa, Justice Isa’s mother, was social worker and worked in an honorary capacity on boards of hospitals and other charitable organisations which focused on education, children and women’s health issues.

Justice Isa enrolled as an Advocate of Balochistan High Court on January 30, 1985 and as an Advocate Supreme Court in March 1998. He has practised law for more than 27 years before High Courts of Pakistan, Federal Shariat Court and Supreme Court of Pakistan. He became member of Balochistan High Court Bar Association, Sindh High Court Bar Association and Life Member of Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan.

Justice Isa became Chief Justice of Balochistan High Court on August 5, 2009. He was appointed judge of Supreme Court on September 5, 2014. He strongly opposed taking oath by judges under Emergency and Interim Constitutional Order imposed by former President Pervez Musharraf in November 2007.

Justice Isa gave milestone judgments in many high profile cases. In 2012, Justice Isa chaired Memogate Commission. In Memogate scandal, Hussain Haqqani, then Pakistan’s Ambassador to United States was accused of seeking help from United States by expressing fear of military coup in Pakistan. He found Hussain Haqqani guilty in report submitted to Supreme Court.

After suicide blast in Quetta on August 8, 2016, Justice Isa was appointed head of an inquiry commission to find out facts. In its report, commission found that suicide blast happened due to negligence of government.  Justice Isa was also part of three-member bench of Supreme Court which rejected NAB’s appeal against former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif in December 2017.

NAB had approached Supreme Court against decision of Lahore High Court in Hudaybiya Paper Mill case. Two member division bench gave split verdict. Case was referred to referee judge, who supported division bench judge favouring closing case. Hence, ‘clean chit’ was granted to accused and case was closed in March 2014. In its decision, Supreme Court acquitted Sharif family of corruption charge of Rs 1.2 billion.

Justice Isa wrote decision of Faizabad sit-in case in 2017 which displeased many in power corridors. In February 2017, Supreme Court took suo motu notice of problems faced by residents of Islamabad and Rawalpindi due to sit-in of religious organisation Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan. Supreme Court wrapped up in 2019 and directed government, law enforcers, intelligence agencies and Army’s media wing to operate within their mandate.

On Nov 22, 2018 two-judge SC bench comprising Justice Isa and Justice Musheer Alam had reserved its judgment and closed hearing of case that was initiated on suo motu on November 21, 2017 after dishing out severe criticism to Attorney General, media regulator and other stakeholders. In 2015, Justice Isa was among six judges who opposed establishment of military courts when full bench of Supreme Court ruled in its favour. Dissenting judges were of opinion that establishment of military courts was violation of independence of judiciary and basic human rights. Justice Isa objected to taking suo motu notice by Chief Justices.

Published in The Daily National Courier, September, 18 2023

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