ISLAMABAD - Justice Qazi Faez Isa took oath as 29th Chief Justice of Pakistan at Aiwan-e-Sadr on Sunday.
President Dr. Arif Alvi administered the oath to the new chief justice at an impressive ceremony. Qazi Faez Isa’s wife was standing close to her husband during the oath taking, which is for the first time in Pakistan’s judicial history that the wife of a chief justice is standing close to her husband during his oath taking ceremony. Special arrangements were made at the last moment to create space for Qazi Faez Isa’s wife to stand on left side of her husband.
Justice Isa’s tenure as the country’s chief justice, however, will be quite brief, as he is set to retire from the position on October 25, 2024.
Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar Ul Haq Kakar, federal ministers, Army Chief General Asim Munir, Director General ISI Lt Gen Nadeem Ahmed Anjum, judges of high courts and supreme court, former chief justices, governors from four provinces and members from legal fraternity attended the oath taking ceremony.
Before the beginning of the oath taking ceremony, federal secretary law, master of the ceremony, read out the presidential order for the appointment of Justice Qazi Faez Isa as Chief justice of Pakistan. President Arif Alvi after signing the oath papers congratulated Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa. However, Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa did not shake hand with anyone while following the Covid-19 protocol. Later, the Chief Justice joined President Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Anwaar ul Haq Kakar for formally receiving and meeting guests in the banquet hall. Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir and Director General ISI Lt Gen Nadeem Ahmed Anjum also stood by him.
Chief Justice Faez Isa has an association with the law field spanning over forty-five years.
He worked as a lawyer for about 27 years. He joined the Balochistan High Court on January 30, 1985, and became an advocate of the Supreme Court in March 1998. After an emergency was declared during the Pervez Musharraf era on November 3, 2007, Justice Isa decided not to appear before judges who took oath under the Provisional Constitution Order (PCO). He was appointed as the Chief Justice of Balochistan High Court on August 5, 2009. He was elevated as a Judge of the Supreme Court on September 5, 2014.
He also co-authored a book, ‘Mass Media Laws and Regulations in Pakistan’, in 1997. Additionally, Justice Isa authored the report ‘Balochistan: Case and Demand’ published by the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT) in 2007.
