Justice Mansoor accuses outgoing CJP Isa of creating divisions in judiciary

ISLAMABAD: Senior puisne judge of the Supreme Court Justice Mansoor Ali Shah on Friday said that he skipped the full court reference in honour of outgoing Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez due to “worrying reasons”, ARY News reported.

A full court reference was held today to honour the outgoing Qazi Faez Isa at the Supreme Court.

Attorney General for Pakistan Mansoor Usman Awan, senior lawyer Farooq H Naek and Justice Yahya Afridi, who is set to replace CJP Isa, praised the outgoing justice in their opening remarks.

Six apex court judges including Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Ayesha Malik, Justice Shahid Waheed, Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Malik Shehzad chose to skip the full court reference held in honor of Qazi Faez Isa.

In a letter sent to the apex court’s Registrar’s Office, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah has explained reasons for skipping the full court reference.

In his letter, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah maintained that he did not attend former CJP Saqib Nisar’s reference because he “overstepped his authority” and would also not attend Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa’s Full Court Reference as he has more “worrying reasons”.

“When Saqib Nisar overstepped the boundaries of his constitutional role and ventured into matters beyond his jurisdiction, I made the decision not to attend his reference and placed my reasons through a letter,” Justice Shah said and added “Today, I find myself compelled to make the same decision, though for different but more worrying reasons.”

Justice Mansoor Ali Shah stated that the duty of a Chief Justice is to defend the judiciary’s independence.

He said Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa remained complacent and indifferent to external influences and pressures on the judiciary. “Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa acted like an ostrich with his head in the sand,” he added.

“He showed neither the courage nor the moral fortitude to defend the judiciary rather ceded ground to those who sought to weaken the courts for their own gain thereby compromising the very foundation of the rule of law,” SC top judge Shah noted.

Justice Shah said Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa opened the doors of interference and betrayed the sacred role of the judiciary while he failed to create harmony among the judges.

“He has fostered bitter divisions and fractured relationships of colleagues within the Court leaving scars on the judiciary that will last long. His tenure will be defined by pettiness, vindictiveness, and a lowly approach to administrative matters, having no grace or humility,” says Justice Shah by referring reasons as why he didn’t full court reference in honour of outgoing CJP Isa.

Justice Shah also requested that his letter be placed on the record of the full court reference.