'Stop abusing my registrar,' CJP Bandial says

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial on Friday asked the lawyers to not use harsh words for the Supreme Court’s Registrar as he rebuked allegations against judges.

"My Registrar has a 20-year-long academic career, stop abusing him" the CJP said while addressing a full-court reference held on the occasion of Justice Qazi Muhammad Amin's retirement.

The CJP said he constitutes all the benches himself as he asked people to refrain from pointing fingers and blaming the judges. He asked the people present on the occasion to pinpoint the person with whom they had issues — and refrain from giving a general perception.

The CJP's strong reaction came after Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) Vice Chairman Hafeez-Ur-Rehman Chaudhry criticised the judiciary during the same ceremony before the chief justice spoke.

'Uncalled for and unfair'

"The statement of the PBC's vice chairman that judges are paid employees was uncalled for and unfair," the chief justice said, adding: "Blaming judges is unfair and inappropriate."

The chief justice said some people did not wish to speak to him directly and preferred becoming the headline in the media.

Two days back, Justice Qazi Faez Isa had written a letter to the CJP, stating that he was "perplexed" over Justice of Bandial's decision to hear the presidential reference for the interpretation of Article 63-A together with the Supreme Court Bar Association's (SCBA) petition over the no-confidence motion.

The CJP said he does not prefer to use harsh words, but noted that a judge's patience to withstand the pressure of internal and external factors was crucial in decision making.

He also stressed that the appointment of judges was based on merit and that he had never made a decision under pressure from anyone. 

"I also constitute the benches."

SCBA backs Faez Isa

For his part, Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President Ahsan Bhoon said the criteria for the appointment of judges should be made clear.

"Eligible lawyers should be appointed as judges," the SCBA president said.

Speaking about Justice Isa's letter to the CJP, Bhoon said it gave a perception that there was a divide in the top judiciary.

"I hope that chief justice will clear the perception in this regard [...] Justice Isa has also raised objections of officers being appointed to the judiciary, and we back him," the SCBA president said.

'Historic step'

Justice Amin, while making the farewell speech at the full-court reference said that the appointment of Justice Ayesha Malik is a historic step.

"Seven decades passed in understanding that gender is not an obstacle in appointments for the higher courts," Justice Amin said.

He said that his wife and entire family supported him in all good or bad times.

He thanked all the judges, attorney-general and bar representatives for remembering him with good words. He also thanked the rest of the judicial staff members.