it is quite disappointing that Sindh govt is hemming and hawing at formally appointing 24 lower court judges.
KARACHI: On April 27, the Chief Justice of Pakistan observed before the National Judicial Committee in the Sindh High Court that shortage of judges is one of the key reasons behind the delay in providing speedy justice to the people. It is a relief to know that the chief justice has at last taken notice of the acute shortage of judges in the Sindh High Court and the subordinate judiciary. At the same time, it is quite disappointing that the Sindh government is hemming and hawing at formally appointing 24 lower court judges despite the fact that these judges were selected from over 2,000 candidates by a transparent and well thought out selection process. This was conducted by the provincial selection board, comprising the chief justice and the senior most judges of the Sindh High Court.
Over 100,000 cases are pending in Sindh due to a shortage of judges. One wonders what objective the Sindh law department and the chief minister want to achieve by blocking the formal approval of the judges’ appointment.
A government must not neglect such a vital and sensitive issue, which affects the public directly. As a response, the authorities concerned should immediately increase the strength of judicial officers in the district judiciary in order to alleviate the sufferings of the common man.
Advocate Abdul Shakoor Abbasi
Published in The Express Tribune, May 4th, 2012.
