Haven’t created any group in SC: Justice Isa

ISLAMABAD: Two senior most judges of the Supreme Court of Pakistan – Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, and senior puisne judge Qazi Faez Isa – in a show of solidarity, participated in a plantation ceremony on the court premises on Friday. 

A pleasant conversation between the CJP and Justice Isa also reportedly took place during the plantation process. In addition to the two, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Athar Minallah were also in attendance. The judges prayed after planting flowers together. 

CJP Bandial prayed, “May Allah bless everyone and [in particular] our institution”. Earlier, the CJP had lamented that attempts were being made from outside to divide the judiciary. However, little had been done to combat the atmosphere of mistrust among the SC judges. Later in the evening on Friday, Senior Puisne Judge Justice Qazi Faez Isa, while rejecting rumours about division in the ranks of top judiciary, clarified that it was incorrect that he had internally created a separate group within the Supreme Court.

In a statement issued here, he clarified after a false impression was cast by a video clip, that widely surfaced on the social media, of an oath-taking ceremony of the Chief Justice of Federal Shariat Court, held the other day in Supreme Court.

Chief Justice of Pakistan Umer Ata Bandial administered the oath to Chief Justice Federal Shariat Court Justice Iqbal Hameedur Rehman. “It is also factually incorrect to add in the same breath, that I have intentionally created a separate group within the Supreme Court”, Justice Qazi Faez Isa clarified adding that this is completely untrue. “I stand by my oath of office, to defend and uphold the Constitution of Pakistan and cannot concur with anything less,” Justice Isa said adding that garnishing facts to create a controversial narrative is damaging to the institution.

The judge said that Justice Iqbal Hameedur Rahman took oath as the Chief Justice of the Federal Shariat Court yesterday (1 June 2023).

“Immediately afterwards, I went first to greet and congratulate his wife where I met Justice Umar Ata Bandial and greeted him and then I proceeded to greet Justice Rahman,” Justice Isa further clarified. Later, Justice Isa said he went to talk to Dr Syed Muhammad Anwer, a former scholar and judge of the FSC when Justice Bandial came to greet him too. “Someone recorded this moment, and incorrectly added that I had not greeted Justice Bandial, even though just a few minutes earlier I had done so,” the SC senior judge said. The judge said that Justice Rahman’s wife wanted to introduce him to some of her family members, which was the reason he turned.Justice Isa said erroneous interpretations have appeared in the media and he requested that factually incorrect stories should not be propagated, as they cause unnecessary and avoidable misgivings and harm. “My family and I can attest to the pain of being the brunt of sponsored false stories in the recent past,” Justice Isa said. “Ascertain its truthfulness carefully (before you spread it) lest you harm people through your own ignorance’ (Al-Qur’an, 49:6)”, the judge added. “Let us not be detracted, let us work together to build a strong judicial system which focuses on the administration of expeditious justice,” the SC judge concluded.