Islamabad: The Supreme Court has stated that Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa’s off-the-record conversation with journalists was misreported and presented inaccurately.
A statement issued by the Supreme Court said that the off-the-record conversation with Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa was incorrectly reported. The Chief Justice had been asked by a journalist about an extension in his term.
The statement explained that Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa mentioned that several months ago, the Law Minister had visited his chamber and informed him that the government was considering extending the Chief Justice’s term to three years.
According to the statement, the Chief Justice responded that if the proposal was for just one individual, it would not be accepted. The meeting with the Law Minister also included the Attorney General and Justice Mansoor Ali Shah.
The statement further noted that the Law Minister had discussed the parliamentary committee’s role in judicial appointments and suggested that the Judicial Commission be integrated with the parliamentary committee for appointing judges. The Chief Justice replied that it was a matter for Parliament to decide.
The statement also mentioned that the Chief Justice expressed hope that opposition members would not be excluded from the proposed new body for judicial appointments.
The Supreme Court said that a follow-up question was asked by the journalist regarding a statement by Rana Sanaullah.
The Chief Justice responded that he had not met Rana Sanaullah and was unaware of his statement. Any related questions should be directed to the concerned person.
The statement also addressed questions about increasing the number of judges, with the Chief Justice suggesting that existing vacancies should be filled first.
The Supreme Court expressed regret that the off-the-record conversation was unnecessarily and incorrectly broadcast.