Justice Faez Isa complains of character assassination in letter to President Arif Alvi

ISLAMABAD: Senior Supreme Court judge Justice Qazi Faez Isa has written another letter to President of Pakistan Arif Alvi saying that a character assassination campaign against him had been kicked off on the media.

"Mr President my due process and fair trial constitutional protection has been violated even before the council has issued me a notice and I have had an opportunity to submit my reply to the reference," stated Justice Isa, in his five-page letter to the president.

He questioned whether leaking selected documents in the press did not point to ulterior motives.

The apex court judge said that senior officials of the Ministry of Law and Ministry of Information, and treasury members were spreading selected parts of the reference filed against him with the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) by the federal government.

He noted that government members were speaking about the reference in the press and terming it a "grasp of accountability".

"Mr President, is this behaviour appropriate and in accordance with the law," the letter read.

Justice Isa noted that the president, prime minister, federal ministers and judges take an oath before assuming their offices.

He questioned whether spreading selective content and speaking about was not a violation of the oath.

Earlier, the government filed references with the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) against two high court judges and one Supreme Court judge for owning properties abroad.

According to reports, the three judges own properties abroad but did not mention them in their wealth statements.

The SJC is the only constitutional authority mandated by Article 209 of the Constitution of Pakistan to conduct inquiries into allegations of incapacity or misconduct against a judge of the Supreme Court or of a high court.

It comprises chief justice of Pakistan as chairman, two senior most judges of the Supreme Court and two senior most judges of the high courts as members.