Bandial, Isa silenced talk of a conflict.
Reports that Isa did not shake hands with the chief justice and that he had formed a “separate group” within the Supreme Court are false.
The judges of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, including Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial and senior puisne judge Qazi Faez Isa, showed their unity on Friday by planting trees in front of the courthouse in ISLAMABAD.
It is also said that CJP and Justice Isa had a great talk while planting. Two other justices, Mansoor Ali Shah and Athar Minallah, were present as well.
After planting flowers together, the judges prayed. “May Allah bless everyone and [especially] our institution,” CJP Bandial prayed.
The CJP had earlier expressed concern that efforts were being undertaken from without to cause strife inside the court system. However, little had been done to address the judges’ distrustful environment.
Justice Isa, who had been criticized for not greeting or shaking the chief justice’s hand at the event, made a statement later that night to set the record straight.
“Yesterday (1 June 2023) Mr. Justice Iqbal Hameed Ur Rahman took oath as Chief Justice of the Federal Shariat Court. After the ceremony was over, I proceeded to congratulate his wife and was received by Mr. Justice Umar Ata Bandial on my way over. He said, “I then greeted Justice Rahman.”
Mr. Justice Bandial also came to greet Dr. Syed Muhammad Anwer, a former Aalim Judge of the FSC, after I had left to speak with him. Someone took a picture of me at this very moment and mistakenly captioned it to say that I had not greeted Justice Bandial, despite though I had done so only a few minutes earlier.
I turned because Justice Rahman’s wife wanted to meet me and introduce me to her relatives,” he explained.
According to the presiding judge of the highest court, the ceremony has been misrepresented in the media. I beg you to stop spreading rumors that aren’t based on reality since they lead to unwarranted concern and hurt. He then cited a scripture from the Holy Quran: “Ascertain its truthfulness carefully (before you spread it), lest you harm people through your own ignorance” (Al-Qur’an, 49:6). He and his family had recently been the target of sponsored false rumors.
Justice Isa also dismissed rumors of discord among the highest court’s judges. That I have formed a faction within the Supreme Court only because of my own actions is also untrue. That is totally not the case. I will not agree to anything that goes against my oath of office to protect and defend the Constitution of Pakistan. The institution suffers when facts are distorted to support a problematic narrative.
He continued, “Let us not be detracted, let us work together to build a strong judicial system which focuses on the administration of expeditious justice.”
Since February, when the court asserted its suo motu power and took notice of the delay in announcing polls in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, disagreements within the SC have grown wider over issues such as the composition of benches, the listing of cases, and the appointment of superior court judges.
But the Supreme Court began to show signs of weakness when a full court heard Justice Isa’s appeal challenging the presidential reference that accused him of concealing the overseas riches of his family and demanded his dismissal.
For some time now, experts have claimed that Chief Justice Bandial hasn’t been able to dispel the notion that he only selects “like-minded” judges to sit on benches considering partisan cases. Two of the most senior Supreme Court justices, notably Justice Isa, have been routinely left off of benches hearing high-stakes cases.
The judges conveyed the idea today that they were all the same during the interaction.
When Justice Mansoor Ali Shah suggested that the CJP and Justice Isa go outside and plant a tree together, they enthusiastically agreed.
Following his own example of “getting his hands dirty” by planting a seedling, Justice Isa was also seen sarcastically questioning why Justice Shah did not do the same. See for yourself, I have dirt on them,” Justice Shah stated after showing his hands.
