Bitter exchange between CJP Qazi Faez Isa, Naeem Bokhari during Margalla Hills case review
Pakistan
Supreme Court reserves verdict in the case about alleged commercial activities
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa and senior counsel Naeem Bokhari had an exchange of words during hearing of the case related to commercial activities in Margalla Hills.
A three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Isa, heard the review petitions against the closure of Monal and other restaurants.
During the hearing, Naeem Bokhari, the counsel for the restaurants' owners, argued that the decision to close the restaurants was not voluntary and that they were not given a fair chance of hearing.
More to read: SC orders closure of Monal, other restaurants in Margalla Hills
The CJP remarked that the order was passed with the consent of the restaurants' owners. Advocate Bokhari responded that there were only two options before the owners. He noted that the respondents were not properly heard while making the decision.
He said the FIA had probed the case and found that the owners of restaurants were not doing any illegal activity.
The chief justice questioned the relevance of the FIA investigation.
Bokhari claimed the agency had previously cleared the restaurants' owners of any wrongdoing. He also mentioned past incidents wherein authorities overstepped but the chief justice dismissed the arguments as being irrelevant.
The counsel and the chief justice exchanged words over the friction. However, Bokhari a little later apologised for raising his voice during the arguments, and the chief justice acknowledged that "sometimes difficult questions are necessary to understand a case".
Later, the court reserved the verdict.
