New developments reported in Supreme Court over the Presidential reference against SC Justice Qazi Faez Isa
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ISLAMABAD - New developments reported in Supreme Court over the Presidential reference against SC Justice Qazi Faez Isa.The Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Anwar Mansoor Khan to submit an apology or evidence about his controversial statement against sitting judges given during Tuesday’s hearing of Justice Qazi Faez Isa case.
The order was issued when a 10-judge full court led by Justice Umar Ata Bandial heard petitions filed by Justice Isa and others against presidential reference.
The reference was sent against the Supreme Court judge last year accusing him of concealing his wealth in the United Kingdom, allegedly held in the name of his family members.
The controversial remarks were given by the government’s top lawyer during the previous hearing and later he had withdrew his statement. The apex court, then, barred the media from quoting the statement of attorney general.
During today’s hearing, the top court reprimanded the attorney general over his poor preparation in the case, saying, “You are wasting the time of the court”.
The bench remarked that the presidential reference against a judge should be based on valid evidence, adding that the court was hearing the case for six months.
Justice Omar Atta Bandial remarked that the attorney general should prove that declaring foreign assets was mandatory instead of wasting the time.
During yesterday’s hearing, Khan had asked if seeking information on undeclared assets falls into the category of surveillance.
On Monday, Justice Isa, also a Supreme Court judge, argued in his written synopsis that information against him and his family members was gathered through surveillance using illegal means.
He contended that such kind of surveillance on a judge is not lawful and urged the court to quash the presidential reference and proceedings in the Supreme Judicial Council.
