Culture of respect for judiciary needs to be restored: CJP

By News Desk

ISLAMABAD: The Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa, on Monday said that culture of judicial glory will have to be brought back. He said that there is no room of deceit in the professions of divinity, law and medicine and a lawyer should be more professional than a doctor in dealing with cases of different nature.

The CJP advised the young lawyers to work hard while discharging their professional duties and always concentrate on digging outs facts pertaining to the cases they deal with. He was addressing a certificate awarding ceremony under a one-week ‘Continuing Legal Education: Professional Development Package for Members of the Bar,’ held here at the Federal Judicial Academy (FJA). “There is no substitute of hard work which, is key to success in legal profession, therefore, always try to conduct research to gather facts and precedents about the case in question,” the chief justice advised the young lawyers, adding that books are the best tool in this profession.

“Never ever shatter the trust and confidence of the client and you should not run after money, but professional excellence,” the CJP said, adding that legal profession is a profession, but not a business. “Serve the humanity with utmost devotion and dedication and Allah Kareem will compensate you in all manners,” the chief justice advised the young lawyers.

The CJP said that the legal profession has always been considered a noble profession, adding that this profession is nothing sans its ideals and ethics, adding that, “We all must have to do self-retrospection to enhance the nobility of this profession”, the CJP said. He said that all professions are noble but three professions are generally considered to be the noblest of all and they are divinity, law and medicine.”

The chief justice said that down the ages, these professions had been looked up with reverence. In divinity, he said, the holy personages treated souls of the people, doctors dealt with the bodily pains of individuals but on the other hand, lawyers dealt with the ailments of a society ranging from economic, criminal, property issues and civil rights. “So the range of activities the lawyers indulged in were far wider than those by medicine and divinity”, the CJP maintained.

He said that there is dire need of launching movement for restoration of respect of lawyers after the success of movement for the restoration of judiciary.

CJP said that they got respect from this very profession. “We have to get back on the path of honour and respect between the judge and a lawyer,” he continued. He underscored the respect for lawyers and said that they may even have to start a ‘lawyer respect restoration movement to reinstate the lost respect.

He also said that lawyers should give due respect to judges. “Lawyers have to give arguments by using their tongue and brain but not by hands. Will it be appropriate if lawyers and judges hit each another?” he said in an apparent reference to the incident where advocate Imran threw a chair at senior civil judge Khalid Mahmood Warriach on April 25 during an argument in court while in another incident when a judge hit a lawyer with paper wait during hearing in the court.

The CJP said that the senior lawyers have given up attention on junior lawyers and are not giving them proper guidance in court matters.

Sharing his childhood, academic and professional career memories with the audience, the CJP said they had witnessed enviable respect for lawyers and judges due to the nobility attached to the legal profession only.

“Referring to a quote from the world-acclaimed English jurist Lord Denning, Chief Justice of Pakistan advised the lawyers to have command over history, mathematics and literature to become a good lawyer.

Educating and enlightening the audience the philosophy behind the above, he said, “In the current age, a good lawyer needs to have a much more well-rounded personality as he is now supposed to deal with multiple statutes and other disciplines in the courts. “

During his intellectual discourse with the audience, the Chief Justice of Pakistan also enlightened them about the two towering personality of legal profession in the country and the way they used to present, argue and counter-argue their case(s) in the court namely (the late) AK Brohi and SM Zafar. “Young lawyers must have to learn from their seniors and they must have to show respect for their senior lawyers,” he observed.

Earlier, Director General of the Academy, Hayat Ali Shah presented his welcome address and Director Academics Judge Fakhar Zaman presented a brief overview of the continuing legal education, among other things.

Later, the Chief Justice awarded certificates to 30 trainees both male and female lawyers from the District Bar Association Islamabad.

The representatives of Islamabad-based legal bodies such as District Bar Association, Bar Council, among others, also attended this certificate- awarding ceremony.