ISLAMABAD: The senior judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, Justice Qazi Faiz Isa has expressed reservations over the larger bench, formed for hearing the presidential reference against deviant PTI MNAs. Sources said on Wednesday.
According to the sources, Justice Qazi Faiz Isa has sent a letter to Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial and raised questions about the larger bench. He said that the eyes of the entire nation were on the presidential reference but the matter was not consulted with any senior judge before the formation of the bench for such an important case.
Justice Qazi Faiz Isa wrote that senior judges were not included in the larger bench and rules and regulations were not followed before the formation of the bench. “There are important legal and constitutional questions; senior judges should be included in the bench,” he added.
Justice Isa has also sent copies of the letter to the Attorney General, President of the Pakistan Supreme Court Bar, the Supreme Court Judges, and advocate generals of all the provinces.
It may be recalled that the Supreme Court of Pakistan has constituted a larger bench to hear a presidential reference as well as a petition of the Supreme Court Bar Association for restraining political parties from holding public meetings in Islamabad before voting on a no-confidence motion against the prime minister.
A five-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Umer Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Ijazul Ahsen, Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel, Justice Munib Akhtar, and Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhel will conduct a hearing on both matters on March 24.
