Justice Qazi Faez Isa took oath as the 29th chief justice of Pakistan on September 17 after his predecessor, Umar Ata Bandial, hanged up the robes.
The oath-taking ceremony took place at the President House in Islamabad, where President Arif Alvi administered oath to the new chief justice.
“I, Qazi Faez Isa, do solemnly swear that I will bear true faith and allegiance to Pakistan, that as chief justice of Pakistan, I will discharge my duties and perform my functions, honestly, to the best of my ability, and faithfully, in accordance with the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the law,” the top judge said at the oathtaking.
“I will abide by the code of conduct issued by the Supreme Judicial Council, that I will not allow my personal interest to influence my official conduct or my official decisions… May Allah Almighty help and guide me, ameen.”
Justice Isa’s term as chief justice of Pakistan will last for over a year, concluding on October 25, 2024.
Who attended the ceremony?
Pakistan’s caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar also attended the ceremony.
High-ranking government and military officials, including army chief Gen Syed Asim Munir, federal ministers, senators, foreign ambassadors, former chief justices of the country and other dignitaries witnessed the oath-taking ceremony.
Justice Isa’s wife, Sarina Isa, who faced litigation in a 2019 presidential reference against the judge, stood beside him as he took oath of his office.
Profile
Justice Isa is the senior-most judge of the top court after outgoing CJP Umar Ata Bandial. He will be the second CJP from Balochistan, after Iftikhar Chaudhry, according to Pakistan media.
With a career in law spanning 45 years, Justice Isa practiced as a lawyer for about 27 years, before being appointed chief justice of the Balochistan High Court in August 2009. He took oath as a judge of the Supreme Court on September 5, 2014.
In his first act as the top judge following the oath-taking ceremony on Sunday (September 17), Justice Isa formed a full court to hear a set of challenges to the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act 2023, a bill that requires the formation of benches on constitutional matters of public importance by a committee of three senior judges of the court.