SC verdict in Justice Faez Isa case historic: Bhoon

ISLAMABAD: Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President, commenting on SC verdict in Justice Faez Isa case, said on Sunday that the verdict was historic and it was not rightful for all the responsible persons, who had committed wrong in this regard, to remain in office.

He said that the verdict would prove to be a milestone in the country’s judicial history. He said that SC judge Justice Yahya Afridi had taken stock of all the aspects of the case. Meanwhile, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry urged the judiciary on Sunday to take stock of its "rapidly declining reputation" in the world rankings.

In a tweet, Chaudhry said the Minister for Law and Justice Forogh Naseem had raised an important question saying if judges were not responsible for the assets of their wives and children, how it was possible to hold politicians and bureaucrats accountable.

The minister said that the new Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Umar Atta Bandial, would face this challenge when he would be sworn in. The law minister, speaking in Geo News programme "Naya Pakistan" on Saturday, said judges, like other government officials, were also public officer holders.

"Will district judges and administrative officers not be answerable for their family's assets?" he asked in response to the Supreme Court's detailed verdict issued in Justice Qazi Faez Isa’s case.

The law minister termed the SC’s decision in the review case "wrong and contradictory". "If the judges of the Supreme Court are not answerable for the assets of their families, if the same will apply to other government officials. If the judges are not answerable, why the prime minister should or I will be accountable," he asked.