Supreme Court (SC) judge Justice Qazi Faez Isa has said that if the judges began overlooking violations of the law, it would lead to a collapse of the entire system. He added that judges are supposed to abide by the constitution, and it cannot be discarded.
He made these remarks while hearing a case about a property dispute in apex court. Faez Isa observed that the appeal was a right of the petitioner while the review decision was the prerogative of the judges. Judges, he commented, did not make the law, their job was to interpret it while lawyers had to aid and abet them.
Justice Isa has previously issued similar remarks while hearing cases pertaining to human rights. He has repeatedly called for upholding the rule of law. Justice Isa’s judgment on the 2017 sit-in of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) issued in 2019 had raised important points about the role of intelligence agencies and violation of democratic norms.
In April this year, Justice Isa, while addressing a conference on human rights, had remarked that going against the constitution was an act of treason. He had also said that protecting the constitution was obligatory for every citizen. While talking about minority rights, he had said that the constitution was clear that there should be no discrimination based on faith and that minorities should be given equal opportunities.
Justice Essa is absolutely right. Let the state take a start from him.