A full court reference to honor the outgoing Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa has been scheduled for October 25, according to a letter from the Supreme Court registrar. The announcement was communicated in a letter from Supreme Court Registrar Jazeela Aslam to Shahzad Shaukat, President of the Supreme Court Bar Association. Following CJP Isa’s retirement, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah is anticipated to assume the role of the next Chief Justice.
Biography
CJP Qazi Faez Isa was born in Quetta on 26 October 1959. He is the son of the late Qazi Mohammad Isa, a notable figure in the Pakistan Movement and a close associate of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. His father made history as the first individual from Balochistan to obtain a Bar-at-Law degree and played a pivotal role in the establishment of the All India Muslim League in Balochistan after returning from London. He also served as the only representative from the province on the Central Working Committee of the All India Muslim League.
His mother, Begum Saida Isa, was a committed social worker who contributed significantly to charitable organizations focusing on education, women’s health, and children’s welfare.
After completing his early education in Quetta, CJP Isa moved to Karachi to pursue his ‘O’ and ‘A’ levels at Karachi Grammar School (KGS). He then studied law in London, where he successfully completed his Bar Professional Examination at the Inns of Court School of Law.
CJP Isa began his legal career as an Advocate of the Balochistan High Court on 30 January 1985, and became an Advocate Supreme Court in March 1998. With over 27 years of legal experience, he has practiced before the High Courts of Pakistan, the Federal Shariat Court, and the Supreme Court. He is a member of both the Balochistan and Sindh High Court Bar Associations and a life member of the Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan.
Throughout his illustrious career, CJP Isa has been appointed as amicus curiae by the High Courts and the Supreme Court, assisting in complex cases, and has participated in international arbitration proceedings.
CJP Isa took his oath as a judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan on September 5, 2014, and was sworn in as the 29th Chief Justice on September 17, 2023, serving a term of 13 months. He currently resides in Islamabad with his wife and has two children and a granddaughter.
