Former Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa is scheduled to attend a dinner at The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple on Tuesday, where he may face protests organized by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) UK chapter.
Jahanzeb Khan, former senior vice president of PTI UK, along with Sahibzada Jahangir, a close associate of PTI founder Imran Khan, informed Geo News that a demonstration will take place at the Middle Temple in Central London, objecting to Isa’s attendance and condemning the society for inviting him and appointing him to a position within the Temple.
According to Jahanzeb, former ministers and advisers, including Zulfi Bukhari, Maleeka Bokhari, and Shehryar Afridi, are expected to join the protest.
Meanwhile, the Middle Temple has confirmed Isa’s invitation for the bench call ceremony, where elected members are officially called to the Bench. Isa, along with Professor Adrian Briggs, Isabel Hitching KC, and Nikki Singla KC, will join the high table before dinner, where Isa is expected to deliver a brief address to the benchers and members.
Isa is notably the first Pakistani judge to be elected as a bencher at the Middle Temple, one of the UK’s esteemed legal institutions. After retiring as Pakistan’s chief justice on October 25, he traveled to London to attend the ceremony in his honor.
Isa studied law at the Middle Temple, following the legacy of his father, Qazi Isa, an alumnus of the institution. He informed the Temple administration that he could only attend after his retirement, leading to the ceremony’s rescheduling for October 29.
The Middle Temple is one of four historic Inns of Court in London, responsible for legal training and licensing for aspiring legal professionals, alongside Gray’s Inn, Lincoln’s Inn, and Inner Temple.
Founded in the 14th century, the Middle Temple has been integral to the British legal system for centuries. Notable alumni include former British Prime Ministers John Major, Boris Johnson, and David Cameron; Andrew Li, Hong Kong’s first Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal; Princess Diana; Lee Kuan Yew; and other prominent figures.
The other Inns of Court have similarly produced influential leaders, including Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Allama Iqbal, former President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, and other notable figures in law and politics.
