In a major development, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered the withdrawal of the curative review reference filed against Justice Qazi Faez Isa of the Supreme Court.
According to the details, the prime minister has directed Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar to withdraw the curative review reference against Supreme Court Justice Qazi Faez Isa as it was politically motivated.
Read more: SJC clears Justice Faez Isa, no further action needed?
In a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) today, PM Shehbaz said that Justice Isa and his family were “harassed and defamed” in the name of the reference.
He maintained that reference was a nefarious conspiracy to divide the independence of the judiciary, recalling that the PML-N and allied parties had condemned the move even when they were in the opposition.
وزیراعظم شہباز شریف کا سپریم کورٹ کے سینئر ترین جسٹس قاضی فائز عیسیٰ کے خلاف کیوریٹیو ریویو ریفرنس واپس لینے کا حکم
کمزور بے بنیاد اور سیاسی وجوہات پر کیوریٹیو ریویو ریفرنس دائر ہوا تھا، حکومت کا اس کی پیروی نہ کرنے کا فیصلہ pic.twitter.com/zMYzaVxFLv
— Government of Pakistan (@GovtofPakistan) March 30, 2023
Separately, in a tweet, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the Curative Review against Justice Faiz Isa was meant to harass him on Imran Khan’s orders.
“On my direction, the government has decided to withdraw the Curative Review Petition against senior most Judge of the Supreme Court, Justice Qazi Faez Isa. The Curative Review was based on ill-will and meant to harass and intimidate the honorable judge at the behest of Imran Niazi,” PM Shehbaz tweeted.
On my direction, the government has decided to withdraw the Curative Review Petition against senior most Judge of the Supreme Court, Justice Qazi Faez Isa. The Curative Review was based on ill-will & meant to harass & intimidate the honourable Judge at the behest of Imran Niazi.
— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) March 30, 2023
The reference filed against Justice Isa — in line to become the chief justice on September 18, 2023, for 13 months — by the PTI government in May 2019 alleged that he acquired three properties in London on lease in the name of his wife and children between 2011 and 2015, but did not disclose them in his wealth returns.
Justice Isa contested the allegation, saying he is not a beneficial owner of the flats, as a result, a 10-member SC bench threw out the presidential reference against Justice Isa and termed it “invalid”.
However, seven of the 10 judges on the bench ordered the Inland Revenue Department and the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to launch an investigation against Faez Isa’s family on the properties.
In 2021, Justice Isa won a case that set aside the SC’s aforementioned directive after which the entire exercise conducted by the FBR was rendered null and void. Despite this, the Imran Khan-led government then filed a curative review petition against the order of the majority in the review petitions of Justice Qazi Faez Isa passed on April 26 of the same year.
Read more: Will President’s Curative Review Petition against Justice Faez Isa succeed?