The outgoing chief justice of Pakistan (CJP), Qazi Faez Isa, took the Supreme Court’s reins on September 17, 2023, with striking optics — his wife standing by his side as the president administered the oath to him.

The outgoing chief justice of Pakistan (CJP), Qazi Faez Isa, took the Supreme Court’s reins on September 17, 2023, with striking optics — his wife standing by his side as the president administered the oath to him.

It was unprecedented. After his predecessor’s tenure — marred by fissures and disharmony among brother judges — the image from that oath-taking ceremony led many to believe that he’d bring the court together.

His action of appointing Jazeela Aslam as the first woman registrar of the top court only strengthened the optimism. However, over 13 months later, his detractors say, those hopes did not materialise.