KARACHI:
Good administration of justice is necessary for the development of the nation. A state without an efficient justice system confronts many problems such as crime, poverty, and economics — a situation that Pakistan has long been inflected by. The state’s judicial system is plagued with multiple problems with the most fatal among them being delay in justice. Although this remains a universal phenomenon, the situation has become quite deplorable in Pakistan. The gravity of the situation can be determined from the fact that there are around 2.6 million cases still pending in courts.
Justice delayed is justice denied. It disturbs the smooth administration of justice and puts pressure on judges to take short cuts. It provides opportunities for corruption, giving time for lawyers to approach judges for manipulating decisions. Furthermore, it weakens democracy and encourages the public to take law into their own hands. As a result, crimes exacerbate while corruption prevails.
Today, victims avoid bringing cases in courts and prefer alternative methods of dispute resolution like Jirga and Panchayat because they have lost confidence in the justice system. It would therefore be apt to say that the justice system has failed to provide expeditious justice to victims which is ensured in Article 37(d) of the Constitution of Pakistan.
Aamir Ali Channar
Hyderabad
Published in The Express Tribune, September 22nd, 2020.
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