Opinion May 2, 2021 The short order of the Supreme Court of Pakistan – of April 26, 2021 – rendered by a majority of six with four honourable judges dissenting, in the review petitions filed by Justice Faez Isa, Mrs Sarina Isa, the Pakistan Bar Council, the Supreme Court Bar Association and the various high court bar associations across the country has been hailed as a triumph by the overwhelming majority of the serious-minded in the legal profession. It has been bemoaned by those close to the government as a victory of sentiment over substance (see Raoof Hasan’s article on these pages on April 30), and has been spun viciously on social media as the grant of immunity by a set of brother judges to one of their own. It is said that the constitutional authority of the Supreme Judicial Council headed by the honourable chief justice of Pakistan has been constrained. This is a sombre moment. One must begin with the prosaic facts.