Justice Qazi Faez Isa took oath as the Supreme Court’s 29th chief justice as his wife Sarina Isa stood next to him on Sunday.
A ceremony was held at the President’s House at 11:30am where President Dr Arif Alvi administered the oath. Senior government officials, including the army chief and members of the cabinet, were also present.
He succeeds Justice Umar Ata Bandial who reached the age of superannuation on Saturday.
After a relatively short tenure, Justice Isa will retire in October 2024.
Justice Isa has an association with the law spanning 45 years. He studied law for four years and worked as a lawyer for around 27 years. On August 5, 2009, he was appointed as the Chief Justice of Balochistan High Court. Justice Isa was appointed as a Judge of the Supreme Court on 5 September 2014.
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The new CJP is the son of Qazi Mohammad Isa of Pishin, Balochistan. His father was at the forefront of the Pakistan Movement, and the grandson of Qazi Jalaluddin, the prime minister of pre-Pakistan Kalat State.
Justice Isa’s father was the first person from Balochistan to be called to the Bar of England and Wales (Middle Temple). Upon his return from London Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the President of the All India Muslim League, nominated him as the provincial President of the Muslim League.
His mother Saida Isa was a social worker and also worked in an honourary capacity on the boards of hospitals and other charitable organisations focusing on education, children, and women’s health issues.
Before his elevation to the Bench, Justice Isa wrote for Pakistan’s English newspaper on multiple subjects including the Constitution, law, Islam, and the environment.
He also co-authored ‘Mass Media Laws and Regulations in Pakistan’ (Asian Media Information and Communication Centre (AMIC), Singapore, 1997), which was the first book on the subject.
CJP Isa also wrote the report titled ‘Balochistan: Case and Demand’ (Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT), 2007).
