Confrontation with none, bold decisions to be given: CJP

ISLAMABAD: The Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP), Justice Saqib Nisar, on Thursday said that the judiciary did not want a confrontation with anyone. He said this during his unscheduled visit to the Islamabad High Court Bar Association (IHCBA).

Addressing a charged gathering of lawyers, he said that decisions should be given in a bold way. He said the rule of law and equal treatment to all citizens could save this country. “There is a start for eradication of injustice from our society and we have laid the foundation stone for it. If you draw a comparison in the performance of the judiciary for this year with the past one, you will find betterment. Compromise and self-interest are the biggest impediments in the way to justice,” he said.

He said that Asma Jahangir was like a sister to him but she always complained that he very rarely provided her relief in a case where she was a lawyer. He said that everything should be according to the law.

“A judge himself earns respect due to his judgments. Judges should issue decisions with bravery,” he said. Justice Nisar said, “I am working to eradicate social menaces and am striving for the resolution of basic human rights. I want provision of clean drinking water to everyone, clean atmosphere, free of cost treatment at the hospitals, peasants to get good rates of their yields, equal and just treatment with every citizen. These are the focal points of my struggle,” Justice Nisar said.

“I want the lawyers to stand with me not that they pick up fights, but I want them to stand with me for the eradication of social menaces. We have to work for the underprivileged masses of this country,” he added.

He admitted that it was their fault that the references against the superior court judges were not getting decided and there were reasons for it. He said that till this time they had decided as many as 43 references and assured the lawyers that till June this year, all the references against judges would be decided.

“Nations that prospered in this world acted on the basic principles like improvement in their knowledge, quality leadership, the leadership that is upright, possessing integrity and wisdom. With that a strong judicature is also integral part of the prosperity,” Justice Saqib Nisar said.

At the start, IHCBA President Arif Chaudhry and other lawyer leaders mentioned their peculiar problems. They asked for rotation of judges as there is no rotation in the Islamabad judiciary. Secondly, the construction of chambers for the lawyers was raised. The CJP, while addressing the lawyers, said that he would see what he could do for the rotation of judges under the law. If there was any probability, he would definitely do that.

He advised the lawyers to work hard with the goal to one day become the Chief Justice of Pakistan or to become a famous lawyer. “A common man may think what he has to say but for a judge, he has to think what he does not have to say,” the CJP said and added that he is a fighter but fighting against the social menaces not against any person. “As per my oath of the office, it is my responsibility,” the CJP said. He said that they reduced the duration for enrollment of lawyers with the Supreme Court from 10 to 7 years and he wanted everything as per law.