Justice Isa made the remarks while clarifying a false impression cast by a video clip from the oathtaking ceremony of the chief justice of the Federal Shariat Court held a day earlier.
Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial administered the oath to Justice Iqbal Hameedur Rahman as the chief justice of the Shariat Court.The footage circulating on social media platforms cast an impression that the senior puisne judge did not greet the CJP during the event.In a statement, Justice Isa said: “Immediately after the conclusion of the ceremony I went first to greet and I congratulate his wife where I met Justice Umar Ata Bandial and greeted him too.”He went on to say that then he proceeded to greet Justice Rahman and later he went to talk to Dr Syed Muhammad Anwer, a former Aalim judge of the FSC, when Justice Bandial came to greet him too.“Someone recorded this moment, and incorrectly added that I had not greeted Justice Bandial, even though just a few minutes earlier I had done so,” he added.Justice Isa added, “Justice Rahman's wife wanted to introduce me to some of her family members, which was the reason I turned.”The senior puisne judge said that erroneous interpretations have appeared in the media and requested that “factually incorrect stories should not be propagated, as they cause unnecessary and avoidable misgivings and harm”.“My family and I can attest to the pain of being the brunt of sponsored false stories in the recent past,” he added.“Ascertain its truthfulness carefully (before you spread it) lest you harm people through your own ignorance' (Al-Qur'an, 49:6),” he quoted a verse from the Holy Quran.The top court judge further said, “I stand by my oath of office, to defend and uphold the Constitution of Pakistan and cannot concur with anything less. Garnishing facts to create a controversial narrative is damaging to the institution.”“Let us not be detracted, let us work together to build a strong judicial system which focuses on the administration of expeditious justice," he concluded.