The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif, has directed the Law Minister, Azam Nazir Tarar, to withdraw the curative review reference that was filed against Justice Qazi Faez Isa of the Supreme Court. The PM stated that the action was taken by the previous government on “flimsy” and “baseless” grounds, and that the reference was not a reference, but a vendetta by Imran Khan Niazi against a fair-minded judge who followed the path of the Constitution and the law. The PM added that Justice Isa and his family were “harassed and defamed” in the name of the reference.
The reference, which alleged that Justice Isa acquired three properties in London on lease in the name of his wife and children between 2011 and 2015 but did not disclose them in his wealth returns, was thrown out by a 10-member SC bench on June 19, 2020, and termed “invalid.” However, the PTI government instituted a curative review, which was still pending before the Supreme Court.
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Justice Isa, who is set to become the chief justice in September this year, authored a recent judgment that stated the chief justice of Pakistan did not have powers to make special benches or decide its members. They also said that hearings based on suo motu notices and cases of constitutional significance should be postponed until they are legislated upon.
