SC confirms The News report

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday clarified a news item, published in ‘The News’ regarding Justice Qazi Faez Isa’s absence from the court sitting for the week commencing from February 15.

Reference news item published in daily ‘The News’ dated 16.02.2021, with the heading ‘Justice Isa’s ‘absence’: the real story’ by a correspondent of the newspaper that Justice Qazi Faez Isa has not been given court sitting for the week commencing 15th February 2021, said a press release.

The report, in this respect, is not based on facts, rather contrary to the record. On 09.02.2021, the court roster was issued in which Bench-IV of the court comprised of Justice Qazi Faez Isa and Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah.

On instructions from Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, his PS sent a note dated 12.02.2021 to the Registrar, where he informed that Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, on medical grounds, will not be available to sit in the Bench. Upon this, revised court roster was issued on the same day i.e. 12.02.2021, wherein Bench-IV of the court comprised of Justice Qazi Faez Isa and Justice Yahya Afridi.

In the meanwhile, on instructions from Justice Qazi Faez Isa, his senior PS sent a note dated 12.02.2021 to the Registrar, informing that as Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah will not be available next week in Islamabad, therefore, Justice Qazi Faez Isa will be doing chamber work in the week commencing 15th February, 2021. On such note, the Chief Justice of Pakistan again revised the court roster and allowed chamber work to Justice Qazi Faez Isa for the week commencing 15th to 19th February, 2021.

Further, the court roster issued by the court on 15.02.2021, for the week commencing 22nd to 26th February, 2021, Bench-IV of the court is comprised of Justice Qazi Faez Isa and Justice Yahya Afridi.