The appointment Justice Qazi Faez Isa, a senior puisne judge of the Supreme Court, as the Chief Justice of Pakistan will come into effect on September 17.
The incumbent chief justice of Pakistan (CJP), Justice Umar Ata Bandial, will retire on the same day.
President Arif Alvi on Wednesday appointed Justice Qazi Faez Isa as the Chief Justice of Pakistan under Article 175 of the Constitution.
“The president has appointed the chief justice under Article 175 of the Constitution. The president will administer oath to Justice Qazi Faez Isa on September 17,” said a statement of the Presidency.
Later, the Ministry of Law and Justice also notified Justice Isa’s appointment.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by clause 3 of Article 175A read with Article 177 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the president of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is pleased to appoint Honourable Justice Qazi Faez Isa, the most senior judge of the Supreme Court, as chief justice of Pakistan with effect from September 17, 2023,” said the notification.
Born on October 26, 1959, in Quetta, Justice Qazi Faez Isa is the son of the late Qazi Mohammad Isa, a prominent figure in the Pakistan Movement and a close associate of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. His father played a crucial role in establishing the All India Muslim League in Balochistan.
Justice Isa completed his primary and secondary education in Quetta before moving to Karachi, where he obtained his ‘O’ and ‘A’ levels from the Karachi Grammar School. He pursued his legal studies in London, acquiring his Bar Professional Examination from the Inns of Court School of Law.
With over 27 years of legal practice, Justice Isa has appeared before the high courts of Pakistan, the Federal Shariat Court, and the Supreme Court of Pakistan. He has been recognized for his expertise and has been called upon as amicus curiae by various courts. Justice Isa took the oath as a judge of the Supreme Court on September 5, 2014.
Notably, Justice Isa faced a presidential reference filed by the PTI government in May 2019. The reference alleged that he had undisclosed properties in London, registered under his wife and children’s names.
However, on June 19, 2020, a 10-member bench of the Supreme Court dismissed the reference, deeming it invalid. The subsequent proceedings initiated by the Inland Revenue Department and the Federal Board of Revenue were later set aside in a case won by Justice Isa.
In March of this year, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered the withdrawal of the reference, which was subsequently approved by the president, acknowledging its unsubstantial nature.
