Who is Qazi Faez Isa? The veteran jurist sworn in as new Chief Justice of Pakistan

Amid the ongoing political tussle between the Supreme Court and the ruling regime, Justice Qazi Faez Isa was sworn in as the 29th Chief Justice of Pakistan on Sunday. According to Pakistani news outlet Dawn, the veteran jurist’s oath was administered by the country’s President Arif Alvi during a ceremony at Aiwan-i-Sadr in Islamabad. Isa’s appointment came after erstwhile Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial concluded his brief but contentious tenure. 

As per the Pakistani news outlet, the oath-taking ceremony that took place on Sunday was attended by Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar and Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir. The ceremony which was broadcast on television as well began with the recitation of the Quran, following which Justice Isa’s appointment was read out. The President went on to administer the oath-taking ceremony and Justice Isa’s wife Sarina Isa stood by his side throughout the ordeal. Justice Isa’s predecessor Justice Bandial served as the head of the apex court for one year, six months after which he retired from his office. During his brief tenure, Bandial has had a brewing spat with the Shehbaz Sharif administration over the way he treated the corruption scandals hurled against former Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan. Meanwhile, as per the reports, Justice Isa is known for his commitment to holding “democratic values and progressive Islamism,” here’s a look at the life of the veteran jurist and the new Chief Justice of Pakistan. 

President Dr. Arif Alvi administered the oath of office to Justice Qazi Faez Isa as Chief Justice of Pakistan, at Aiwan-e-Sadr. pic.twitter.com/YhJCkRIcxO

— The President of Pakistan (@PresOfPakistan)

Who is Justice Qazi Faez Isa?

According to Dawn, Justice Isa was born in Quetta on October 26, 1959, and is the son of the late Qazi Mohammad Isa of Pishin, who was considered the close associate of Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Not only this, Justice Isa’s father was the first person from the province to secure the Bar-at-Law degree and even played a crucial role in establishing the All India Muslim League in Balochistan. Meanwhile, his mother Begum Saida Isa was a social worker who is known for establishing several hospitals and charitable organisations in Pakistan. 

Justice Isa pursued his law degree from Inns of Court School Law, London, where he completed his Bar Professional Examination. According to Dawn, he went on to enrol himself as an Advocate to the Balochistan High Court on January 30, 1985, and in March 1998, he enrolled himself as an advocate in the Supreme Court. The Pakistani justice has 27 years of experience in practising law in the  High Courts of Pakistan, the Federal Shariat Court and the Supreme Court of Pakistan. In his career spanning over two decades, Justice Isa has also conducted several International arbitrations.

Known for investigating controversial incidents

According to Dawn, Justice Isa not only gave out several landmark judgements but has also garnered attention as inquiry commissioner in various high-profile cases. Justice Isa gained media attention when he led the Memogate Commission that investigated the scandal that emerged in 2011 when Mansoor Ijaz released a secret memo allegedly authored by Hussain Haqqani, the then-US ambassador. The memo revealed that the United States intervened to prevent a military coup against the then-civilian government in Pakistan. Justice Isa’s commission submitted a report, accusing Haqqani of treason and disloyalty a move which garnered criticisms. Not only this, Justice Isa played a crucial role in investigating the assassination attempt on Justice Khawaja Sharif and the 2016 Quetta bombing. 

Justice Isa crossed paths with Imran Khan 

As per the Pakistani news outlet, the new chief justice has crossed paths with the former PM Imran Khan in the past. In February 2021, Justice Isa initiated a suo moto proceedings in the development funds case. The veteran jurist questioned the constitutionality of Imran Khan’s announcement of creating development funds for lawmakers. The move became controversial since Justice Isa did not seek nor receive the CJP’s approval and chose to exercise the power himself. Justice Isa’s action was considered as “irregular and out of line”. Hence, it will be interesting to see how the new chief justice of Pakistan will deal with the PTI chief’s legal woes.