Justice Qazi Faez Isa was sworn in as the 29th chief justice of Pakistan on Sunday. His first act as the CJP was to form a full court to hear challenges to the law clipping the top judge’s powers. The hearing is tomorrow.
He was administered the oath of office by President Arif Alvi during a ceremony at Aiwan-i-Sadr in Islamabad. Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar and Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir were also in attendance.
Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir also attended Justice Qazi Faez Isa’s swearing in ceremony.
Footage broadcast on television also showed top court judges Justice Ayesha Malik, Justice Shahid Waheed, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Aminuddin Khan, Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Mazahir Ali Akbar Naqvi, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Yayha Afridi attending the swearing in ceremony. Ex-CJPs Iftikhar Chaudhry and Tassaduq Jillani were also present.
The ceremony began with the recitation of the Holy Quran, following which the notification for Justice Isa’s appointment was read out. The president then administered the oath to Justice Isa, whose wife Sarina Isa stood by his side.
In his first act as the top judge following the oath-taking ceremony today, Justice Isa formed a full court to hear a set of challenges to the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act 2023, a bill that requires the formation of benches on constitutional matters of public importance by a committee of three senior judges of the court.
The pleas will be taken up tomorrow (Monday). Notices for the proceeding have already been issued to Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Usman Awan.
The enforcement of the SC (Practice and Procedure) Act, 2023 had been suspended on the April 13 order of an eight-judge apex court bench, headed by outgoing CJP Umar Ata Bandial.
When the law was suspended, Justice Bandial had observed that the court had great respect for the Parliament but it also had to examine if any constitutional deviation, violation or transgression had taken place while enacting the SC (Practice and Procedure) Bill, 2023.
The petitioners had pleaded before the apex court that the concept, preparation, endorsement and passing of the SC (Practice and Procedure) Bill was an act tainted with mala fide. Therefore, the bill should be struck down after declaring it to be without lawful authority and of no legal effect, the petition contended.
Moreover, they said the federal government cannot frame any law that seeks to interfere or regulate with the functioning of the apex court or the powers exercised by it or its judges including CJP, under the Constitution.
CJP Isa has appointed Okara Additional District and Sessions Judge Jazeela Aslam as the first female Supreme Court Registrar of the country.
The notification of the appointment.
“Pursuant to Honourable Supreme Court of Pakistan, Islamabad dated September 17, 2023, the Honourable Chief Justice and Judges are pleased to place the services of Ms Jazeela Aslam, District and Sessions Judge, Okara, in the public interest, with immediate effect at the disposal of that court, for her posting as Registrar, Supreme Court of Pakistan on deputation basis for a period of three years.”
It added that ADSJ Jazeela would remain repatriated to the SC for the aforementioned time unless directed otherwise.
According to a press release issued by the SC, ADSJ Jazeela, mother of three, got a first division in her Bachelor’s degree from Kinnaird College, completed her LLB from the Punjab University and secured second position in the judicial competitive exam of Punjab.
She joined the Punjab Judicial Service as civil judge/judicial magistrate in May 1994 and has also worked as a deputy solicitor.
ADSJ Jazeela is also the senior most lady district and sessions judge in Punjab.
Who is Justice Isa?
Born in Quetta on October 26, 1959, Justice Qazi Faez Isa is the son of the late Qazi Mohammad Isa of Pishin, who was in the forefront of the Pakistan Movement and a close associate of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
Justice Isa’s father was the first person from the province to acquire the Bar-at-Law degree and helped establish the All India Muslim League in Balochistan after his return from London. His father had served as the only member on the Central Working Committee of the All India Muslim League from Balochistan.
Begum Saida Isa, Justice Isa’s mother, was a social worker and worked in an honorary capacity on the boards of hospitals and other charitable organisations which focused on education, children and women’s health issues.
After completing his primary and secondary education in Quetta, Isa moved to Karachi to finish his ‘O’ and ‘A’ levels from the Karachi Grammar School (KGS). He then went on to study law from London, where he completed his Bar Professional Examination from the Inns of Court School Law, London.
Justice Isa enrolled as an Advocate of the Balochistan High Court on January 30, 1985, and as an Advocate Supreme Court in March 1998.
He has practised law for over 27 years before the High Courts of Pakistan, the Federal Shariat Court and the Supreme Court of Pakistan. He became a member of the Balochistan High Court Bar Association, Sindh High Court Bar Association and Life Member of the Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan.
From time to time, he was called upon by the High Courts and the Supreme Court as amicus curiae and rendered assistance in certain complicated cases. He has also conducted international arbitration.
Justice Isa took oath as a judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan on September 5, 2014.
