The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) expects that Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa will turn down the reference against the apex court judge Justice Qazi Faez. SCBA President Amanullah Kanrani said this while talking to media persons on Monday. He said; "I hope Chief Justice of Pakistan Asif Saeed Khan Khosa, who is also chairman of Supreme Judicial Council, would "tear the reference papers" and I will burn a copy of the reference against Justice Isa inside the courtroom."
Kanrani threatened if a presidential reference against Justice Qazi Faez Isa is not withdrawn by June 14 then the lawyers' community will hold a protest inside courtrooms. "Our protest will not be an ordinary one. We will now protest inside courtrooms, we will lock down the courts. Now the culprits will be dragged on the streets. We will not burn the streets but the courtrooms."
The SCBA and the government came face-to-face after President Arif Alvi filed a complaint at the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) against alleged misconduct of Justice Isa and another apex court judge, who allegedly hold foreign properties either in their names or through their spouses.
The President of Pakistan four days ago under Article 209 of the Constitution sent references against two Justice Qazi Faez Isa and Justice KK Agha, a judge of Sindh High Court (SHC), to Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) for alleged misconduct of having properties abroad and failing to mention them in their wealth statements. The SCBA president asked the opposition parties to file impeachment motion against President Arif Alvi for filing a reference. He said that Justice Faez is being punished for the sins he never committed. "We will not leave Justice Isa to get targeted. We are not against accountability but against discrimination. We respect all the judges including the Chief Justice of Pakistan," the SCBA president said. The SCBA President, however, refused to apologise and said, "Whoever tries to do politics on Justice Qazi Faez Isa, should do politics on our bodies." "There are 350 complaints across the country. We will not let Justice Qazi Faez Isa be sacrificed." He said if the reference is not withdrawn on June 14 then references against all the judges will be opened. "They will not be able to find any judge after June 14 because every judge will be found in the court box," he added.
Former presidents of SCBA including Munir A Malik, Aitzaz Ahsan, Ali Ahmad Kurd, Rasheed A Rizvi and Tariq Mahmood have started consultations with one another to support Justice Isa. Hamid Khan, once legal wizard of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, has reportedly told Amanullah Kanrani that he fully backs the SC judge in the present crisis.
The Peshawar High Court Bar Association (PHCBA) has also joined the mass support against the references. President PHCBA Abdul Lateef Afridi told Business Recorder the reference against Justice Qazi Faez Isa is obviously meant to victimise him for his independent, straight forward, upright and honest expressions of opinion in various cases.