Federal Cabinet Withdraws SC Registrar, Hours After Justice Qazi Faez Isa Letter

Federal Cabinet Withdraws SC Registrar, Hours After Justice Qazi Faez Isa Letter
The Federal Cabinet has withdrawn SC registrar, hours after Justice Qazi Faez Isa asked him to relinquish his role over the suo motu circular row, reports suggest.

The registrar was asked to report to the establishment division after his withdrawal from the role.

Earlier today, Justice Qazi Faez Isa, the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) after Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, wrote a letter to SC registrar Ishrat Ali advising him to relinquish his office immediately.

Justice Isa wrote that it was in the registrar's "best interest" - as well as that of the Supreme Court - that a circular he issued on March 31, which attempts to nullify a judicial order of the apex court issued on March 29, be withdrawn immediately as well.

"The Registrar does not have the power or authority to undo a judicial order, and the Chief Justice cannot issue administrative directions with regard thereto," the two-page letter read.



 

 

The letter goes on to tell SC registrar Mr. Ishrat Ali that his conduct demonstrated he did not have "the requisite competence, ability and understanding to hold the office of Registrar".

In the letter, Justice Qazi Faez Isa writes that a bureaucrat occupying the office of Supreme Court registrar violated Article 175(3) of the Constitution, "which mandates the complete separation of the Judiciary from the Executive".

The letter ends with a note to the federal secretaries of the cabinet division and the establishment division, through the attorney general, instructing them to recall Mr. Ishrat Ali "to prevent him from further damaging the reputation and integrity of the Supreme Court". According to the letter, Justice Qazi Faez Isa leaves it to these senior bureaucrats to decide if Mr. Ishrat Ali should face disciplinary proceedings or not.