Reversing the tide: CJP urges lower courts to regain public trust

Saqib Nasir links Pakistan’s survival with provision of justice

LAHORE: Pakistan’s survival is linked with the provision of justice and no conspiracy can be let to succeed in presence of a functional judiciary, the chief justice said on Saturday.

“We should keep in mind that our institution is losing confidence of the people and we should restore it by realising our responsibilities,” Justice Mian Saqib Nisar said while presiding over a meeting of sessions judges in Lahore.

During the meeting, lawyers underscored the need to end the culture of protesting. They also condemned incidents of lawyers misbehaving with judges and termed it non-professional.

Before the meeting, the chief justice said judges of the lower and superior judiciary are of equal status and no judge has power to give judgments out of his wishes.



“Impartiality, liberty, judicial thinking and honesty are characteristics a judge should have,” he stressed adding that the judiciary functions under law and a judge decides cases in accordance with the law.

Justice Nisar said that it was the basic duty of all judges to have command over legal knowledge as without knowing the law he cannot decide cases.

“I am sorry to say that some of the decisions passed by district judiciary negated rules set by the Supreme Court and High Courts,” the CJP said, adding that the judges of the lower judiciary should keep in mind that they decide cases purely in accordance with the rules set by the apex court and higher courts.

The chief justice said that he gives value to the decisions taken by judges of the lower judiciary and passed in accordance with the law and uphold them.

Justice Nisar said the Supreme Court has full confidence on the credibility of the judges of district judiciary who are working for supremacy of the judicial institution.

He said he was well aware of the needs and challenges being faced by the judicial officers and also said that self-respect of the judicial officers would be ensured at every cost. “To ensure facilities, protection and solution of all other problems is the duty of concerned district and sessions judges,” he added.

The judicial officers should not stop process of their leaning which is necessary for dispensation of justice,” the chief justice stressed.

Justice Nisar said that being chief justice of Pakistan, he never hesitated from getting judicial training. He hoped that all judicial officers would not let him down and would struggle to establish an effective and active judiciary.

During his address, LHC Chief Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah assured the CJP on behalf of the provincial judiciary of doing better work under his leadership. He said he has planned to introduce examination system for the induction of judicial officers equal to that of superior civil services.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 5^th, 2017.