Daily Times

Justice Qazi Faez Isa, the senior puisne judge of the Supreme Court (SC), Friday issued a clarification to reject ‘erroneous interpretations’ in the media that he did not greet Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial or shake hands with him at the oath taking ceremony of Justice Iqbal Hameedur Rahman as the Federal Shariat Court Chief Justice in the SC building on Thursday. Justice Isa firmly rebutted the notion that the captured moment in the video was awkward, asserting that he had already exchanged greetings with Chief Justice Bandial before the camera captured the scene.

“Justice Iqbal Hameed Ur Rehman took oath as the chief justice of the Federal Shariat Court yesterday (June 1, 2023). Immediately after the ceremony’s conclusion, I went first to greet and congratulate his wife, where I met Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial and greeted him. Then I proceeded to greet Justice Rahman,” a clarification note issued bu Justice Isa said. The note added that after greeting Rahman, the senior puisne judge went to talk to Dr Syed Muhammad Anwer, a former Aalim judge of the FSC when Justice Bandial came to greet him too. “Someone recorded this moment and incorrectly added that I had not greeted Justice Bandial, even though just a few minutes earlier I had done so.”

He said that he turned because Justice Rahman’s wife wanted to introduce him to some of her family members.

Justice Isa urged that such factually incorrect stories should not be propagated, as they “cause unnecessary and avoidable misgivings and harm”. He and his family could attest to the recent pain of being the brunt of sponsored false stories, he added.

Justice Isa said, “It is also factually incorrect to add in the same breath that I have intentionally created a separate group within the Supreme Court. This is completely untrue. I stand by my oath of office to defend and uphold the Constitution of Pakistan and cannot concur with anything less. Garnishing facts to create a controversial narrative is damaging to the institution.”

Separately, in a show of solidarity, judges of the Supreme Court, including Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial and senior puisne judge Qazi Faez Isa, participated in a plantation ceremony at court premises on Friday. A pleasant conversation between the CJP and Justice Isa also reportedly took place during the plantation.

In addition to the two, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Athar Minallah were also in attendance. The judges prayed after planting flowers together. CJP Bandial prayed, “May Allah bless everyone and [in particular] our institution”.