Curative review petition against Justice Isa withdrawn

ISLAMABAD: The curative review petition filed by the previous Imran Khan-led government against senior Supreme Court Judge Justice Qazi Faez Isa was withdrawn on Friday as Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial admitted the federal government’s plea. 

CJP Bandial had reserved the verdict on the federal government’s plea earlier in April this year.

The CJP disposed of the petition on the basis of withdrawal, according to the verdict announced today (Friday).

The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)-led government had requested the apex court to withdraw the curative review petition filed against Justice Isa.

President Dr Arif Alvi had approved the withdrawal of the curative review petition and Civil Miscellaneous Application against Justice Isa, on the advice of PM Shehbaz, through Article 48 of the Constitution.

President Alvi had also signed his Power of Attorney in favour of Advocate-on-Record (AOR).

In 2021, the then government of Imran Khan filed a curative review petition against the order of the majority in the review petitions of Justice Isa passed on April 26, 2021.

However, the registrar of the Supreme Court returned the instant petition after raising objections to it, saying that once the review petition is decided, it cannot be reviewed.

Dubbing it an act of state-led vengeance by the former PTI-led regime, the incumbent government of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) said that it wants to withdraw the appeal filed against the judgment of the country’s top court.

“The government does not want to pursue this case,” the petition read seeking withdrawal of the case while considering the requirements of justice after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had announced the government's decision to call off the review against Justice Isa.

"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 premier wrote in his tweet.

PM Shehbaz said that the curative review was based on the ill will to "harass and intimidate" Justice Isa at his predecessor's [Imran Khan] "behest".