Did CJP Qazi Faez Isa's tenure mark turning point for Pakistan's judiciary?

Chief Justice of Pakistan, Qazi Faez Isa, is set to retire today (October 25) after serving as a judge for 15 years and leading the country's top court for 13 months.

Justice Isa was born on October 26, 1959, in Quetta, Balochistan. He is the son of Qazi Muhammad Isa, a trusted associate of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

Justice Isa obtained his Bar-at-Law degree from Middle Temple, the oldest educational institution in Britain, following in his father's footsteps. 

His judicial career began in 2009 when he was directly appointed as the Chief Justice of Balochistan High Court during CJP Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.

On September 5, 2014, Justice Isa joined the Supreme Court and was part of the minority judgment that struck down the constitutional amendment establishing military courts. 

He also chaired the Memo Commission, acquitting then-President Asif Ali Zardari of national security charges.

During his tenure as the apex court head, Jutice Qazi Faez Isa convened a full court meeting after a four-year hiatus and constituted the full court of the SC, ratifying the Supreme Court Practice and Procedure Act.

He delegated the discretionary power of the CJP to a 3-member Judges Committee and introduced live broadcasting of public interest cases for transparency.

Key decisions under his leadership include upholding the death sentence in General Pervez Musharraf's high treason case, declaring Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto's judicial killing unconstitutional, and annulling lifetime disqualification decisions under Article 62(1)(f). 

He also restored the suspended Shariat Appellate Bench, gave verdicts in long-pending cases, and ensured the deposit of approximately Rs90 billion in the national treasury.

Justice Isa faced criticism and propaganda after the PTI's decision against intra-party elections but remained committed to accountability. 

Notably, he voluntarily disclosed his and his wife's assets on the Supreme Court website after PTI filed a reference against him.

In a gesture of patriotism, Justice Qazi Faez Isa and his family donated 31,680 square feet of family land to the Balochistan government on Pakistan's 77th Independence Day.