Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa Retires After Distinguished 13-Month Tenure
Reflects on His Judicial Journey, Expresses Gratitude to Family and Colleagues
Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa concludes his term today, retiring after more than 13 months in office.
A full court reference was held in his honor Friday morning at 10:30 AM. Later in the day, Chief Justice-designate Yahya Afridi will host a farewell dinner for Justice Isa, with Supreme Court judges in attendance.
Notably, Justices Mansoor Ali Shah, Ayesha Malik, Munib Akhtar, Athar Minallah, and Shahzad Malik chose not to attend the reference.
The Supreme Court released the case roster for Justice Isa’s final day, with seven benches scheduled, although Justice Isa did not participate, focusing instead on chamber duties.
Reflecting on his tenure, Chief Justice Isa acknowledged the potential for mistakes in past rulings, reiterating that the court operates strictly within legal bounds. In a speech delivered in Urdu, he mentioned the valuable lessons he learned from both the bar and the bench, and noted that he never interfered with the Supreme Court Registrar’s management of the cause list.
In a personal moment, Justice Isa shared that his daughter had expressed concerns about the Margalla Hills ruling, which underscored for him how many individuals contribute to a judge’s work. He also credited former Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry for appointing him as Chief Justice of the Balochistan High Court.
Justice Isa highlighted his wife’s steadfast support, humorously remarking, “My wife holds veto power in my life.” He also urged greater focus on environmental protection, advocating for further attention to this area.
During his last hearing on Thursday, which dealt with issues of tree cutting, Justice Isa humorously said, “Let’s bear with it for one more day,” acknowledging his final day in office.
He applauded efforts to incorporate environmental protections into the 26th Constitutional Amendment. A three-judge bench led by Justice Isa addressed ten cases, ruling on four and adjourning six.
When lawyer Farooq Malik noted it was his final day, Justice Isa responded, “If life permits, we will meet again.”
Follow us on our social media platforms here: Twitter WHATSAPP CHANNEL FACEBOOK PAGE
