PM Shehbaz orders withdrawal of curative review reference filed against Justice Qazi Faez Isa

ISLAMABAD, Mar 30 (SABAH): Prime Minister Main Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday ordered the withdrawal of the curative review reference filed against one of the Supreme Court’s senior-most judge Justice Qazi Faez Isa.

The premier directed Law Minister Senator Azam Nazir Tarar Advocate to withdraw the curative review reference against Justice Isa, saying that it was not only baseless but “filed on flimsy and political grounds”.

The cabinet meeting, chaired by PM Shehbaz Sharif, has approved the decision.

“Justice Qazi Faiz Isa and his family were harassed and defamed in the name of the reference,” said PM Shehbaz Sharif.

“This was not a reference, it was a revenge action by Imran Niazi,” he added, calling the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief “a vindictive person”.

PM Shehbaz said that Justice Isa is “a fair-minded judge who followed the path of the Constitution and the law,” and accused Imran of attempting to divide the judiciary.

He said that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and allied parties had condemned this “false reference” even when the opposition was in power.

“Imran misused the constitutional office of the president for this criminal act,” said the prime minister, adding that President Arif Alvi has become “an instrument in the attack on the judiciary and an accomplice to a lie”.

The premier noted that lawyers’ organisations, including the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC), have also opposed the curative review petition and that “their opinion is valued”.

“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” PM Shehbaz Sharif said in a separate statement issued on twitter.