The Pakistani government has announced its intention to withdraw the curative review petition filed against Senior Puisne Judge Qazi Faez Isa. The petition, which had been filed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) administration, will be considered for withdrawal by the Supreme Court on April 10, 2023.
The curative petition had been brought against Judge Isa following the dismissal of a presidential referral in 2021. The administration’s decision to withdraw the petition has been attributed to its belief that the review was an act of state-led retaliation by the previous PTI-led regime.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced the government’s intention to halt the review against Judge Isa on April 1, 2023. In response, a petition was filed asking that the case be withdrawn while taking the needs of justice into account.
In a statement released by the PM Office, the Prime Minister’s cabinet meeting, presided over by the premier, had previously approved the retraction of the reference. The Prime Minister instructed Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar to withdraw the curative application.
According to the Prime Minister, Judge Isa had been the target of “harassment and intimidation” during the curative review at the “behest” of his predecessor, Imran Khan.
The federal cabinet had given its approval for the withdrawal of the petition for a curative review in July of last year. The Imran Khan-led administration had challenged the majority’s ruling in review petitions that Judge Qazi Faez Isa issued on April 26 of the same year by filing a curative review petition in 2021.
The Supreme Court’s registrar had returned the immediate petition after objecting to it, stating that once the review petition was determined, it could not be revisited.
In conclusion, the Pakistani government has taken the decision to withdraw the curative review petition filed against Senior Puisne Judge Qazi Faez Isa. The decision has been welcomed by those who had petitioned for the case to be withdrawn in the interest of justice. The Supreme Court will consider the withdrawal on April 10, 2023.
