ISLAMABAD: Attorney General Anwar Mansoor will reply on Tuesday to the allegations levelled in a set of petitions challenging the filing of the presidential reference against Justice Qazi Faez Isa of the Supreme Court.

Headed by Justice Umar Ata Bandial, a 10-judge full court was due to resume the hearing on the petitions on Monday, but since Justice Muneeb Akhtar was unable to attend the court because of indisposition, the hearing had to be adjourned to Tuesday.

The AG will defend not only the federal government’s stand on the reference, but also himself since he had also been named in the petitions. Monday’s highlight of the brief proceedings was the presence of Law Minister Farogh Naseem and Barrister Mirza Shahzad Akbar, who heads the Assets Recovery Unit (ARU).

Anwar Mansoor told the court that the law minister would also make a statement since his name was mentioned by different lawyers during the course of hearing.

On Monday, Hassan Irfan Khan, a petitioner, questioned the existing Supreme Judicial Council procedure of inquiry 2005, saying these rules were framed in 2005 through the Legal Framework Order, but since LFO could not survive after the adoption of the 18th Constitution Amendment, these rules too were no more in existence.

Senior counsel Munir Malik, who represents Justice Isa, submitted a synopsis in line with a previous court directive and requested for quashing the proceedings before the Supreme Judicial Council against Justice Isa.

He called for initiating a contempt case against all concerned and for action against all those who carried out surveillance of Justice Isa and his family.

Published in Dawn, February 18th, 2020