Qazi Faez Isa

Qazi Faez Isa ( ur, , born 26 October 1959) is a justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan since 5 September 2014. Previously, he served as Chief Justice of the Balochistan High Court from 5 August 2009 to 5 September 2014.

Early life and education

Isa was born in Quetta, Balochistan, on 26 October 1959. He is the son of Qazi Muhammad Essa, a Pakistani politician and independence movement activist who was a close associate of Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Isa's paternal grandfather was the Prime Minister of the Kalat State. He is of Hazara descent. The diplomat Ashraf Jehangir Qazi is his first cousin, and Jennifer Musa is his aunt through marriage to his paternal uncle Qazi Muhammad Musa.

He completed his primary and secondary education in Quetta, did his "O" and "A" levels from Karachi Grammar School and went on to do B.A. (Honours) in Law, from London. He completed his Bar Professional Examination from the Inns of Court School of Law, London, and was called to the Bar of England and Wales (Middle Temple, 1982).

Professional career

He enrolled as an Advocate of the Balochistan High Court on 30 January 1985 and as an Advocate Supreme Court on 21 March 1998.

He practiced law for over 27 years before all the High Courts of Pakistan, the Federal Shariat Court, and the Supreme Court of Pakistan, and was a member of the Balochistan High Court Bar Association, Sindh High Court Bar Association and Life Member of the Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan. Before his elevation, he was a senior partner and head of litigation in one of Pakistan's leading law firms. From time to time he was called upon by the High Courts and the Supreme Court as amicus curiae, and rendered assistance in certain complicated cases. He has also conducted international arbitrations. Innumerable cases, in which he appeared as Counsel, have been reported in law journals.(Abbas Nasir
'Thank you, Justice Isa' (Profile of Justice Qazi Faez Isa)
Dawn (newspaper), Published 17 December 2016, Retrieved 27 August 2021

Isa served as a member of the Pakistan Law and Justice Commission, the National Judicial (Policy Making) Committee and the Federal Judicial Academy. In his capacity as the Chief Justice of the Balochistan High Court, he is also the ex-officio Chairman of the Balochistan Judicial Academy. As the senior most Chief Justice of a High Court Isa served as a member of the Supreme Judicial Council.

Qazi Faez Isa was promoted to become a judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan on 5 September 2014 and is currently serving there as a judge in 2022.

Corruption Allegations

Justice Isa became controversial after allegations of corruption recently. The Supreme Court in a detailed judgement issued on Saturday observed that its June 19, 2020 direction to the tax authorities to investigate allegations against Sarina Isa, the wife of Justice Qazi Faez Isa, of not declaring three foreign properties in her name and her children and submit its findings to the Supreme Judicial Council (JDC) violated the principle of natural justice. In 2021, by a majority of six to four, the apex court had overturned its June 19, 2020, majority order that required verification and subsequent findings by the tax authorities of the three foreign properties which, according to the now quashed reference, were not disclosed. The order had also made it clear that no forum, including the SJC, would consider or peruse any report, or order or hold proceedings or actions. The SJC had to take up the FBR report under which it had slapped a whopping tax penalty of Rs35 million on Sarina Isa on Sept 14, 2020, over non-declaration of the three offshore properties in her name as well as in the name of her children.
However, the SJC decided not to proceed any further after the Supreme Court's short order which declared all the subsequent proceedings, actions, orders information and reports in pursuance of the directives issued through the June 19, 2020, verdict as well as the detailed reasons of that short order as illegal and without any legal effect. It observed that judicial accountability was the cornerstone of judicial independence, but it did not mean that accountability of the judge was bereft of due process of law and fair tria
(citations)

References

Bibliography

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Isa, Qazi Faez
1959 births
Living people
Hazara people
Justices of the Supreme Court of Pakistan
Pakistani jurists
Pakistani people of Hazara descent
People from Quetta
Karachi Grammar School alumni
Chief Justices of the Balochistan High Court
Qazi family