A glance at Isa’s journey

QUETTA:

The newly appointed top judge of the country hails from Pishin district of Balochistan. Born on Oct 26, 1959 in Quetta, the provincial capital of the province, Isa is the son of Qazi Muhammad Isa, a close aide of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

Late Qazi Muhammad Isa played an important role in the Pakistan independence movement along with the father of the nation.

Qazi Jalaluddin, the grandfather of Isa, remained a judge in Afghanistan and prime minister of the then Kalat State during the British rule of the subcontinent. Isa has been part of the bar and bench for the past four decades. He has served as the chief justice of the Balochistan High Court from 2009 to 2014 and was appointed a judge of the Supreme Court in September 2014.

Isa was named the next chief justice of Pakistan by President Arif Alvi on June 21, 2023. He will hold the prestigious post till October 25, 2024.

Isa received his primary education from Quetta. After that, he studied O and A levels at Karachi Grammar School and then moved to London where he studied law.

After BA (Hons) from London, he passed the Bar Professional Examination from the Inns of Court School of Law, London and was admitted to the Bar of England and Wales (Middle Temples) in 1982.

On his return from London, he joined his family profession as a lawyer at the Balochistan High Court in 1985. He also served as a lawyer in the four high courts of Pakistan apart from the Supreme Court and the Shariat Court for 24 years. Isa’s uncle, Qazi Muhammad Musa, married an Irish woman, Jennifer, who came to Balochistan from London and stayed here.

Read also: Justice Qazi Faez Isa takes oath as 29th CJP

Jennifer Musa was nicknamed Mummy Jennifer of Balochistan.

She played an active role in politics in the 1970s. She was a member of the National Assembly from the platform of Abdul Wali Khan’s banned National Awami Party. Jennifer did not sign the 1973 Constitution due to concerns about the rights of Balochistan.

Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, the cousin of Isa, served as the United Nations special envoy to Iraq in the aftermath of the US invasion. His mother was an Irish woman and father, Qazi Muhammad Musa.

Isa also headed a judicial commission formed in the aftermath of the deadliest civil hospital bombing that claimed 72 lives, including 56 lawyers, in Quetta.

In his detailed judicial report, Isa had given recommendations and suggestions to the government and law enforcement agencies to avert such tragedies in the future.

Isa also issued non-bailable arrest warrants for former president late General (retd) Pervez Musharraf in the murder case of elderly Baloch leader Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti.