Unusual day at Supreme Court's Peshawar registry

Courtroom of CJP Mian Saqib Nisar was jam-packed

PESHAWAR: The courtroom of Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar was jam-packed, mostly with people eager to hear the proceedings, but also a few that were trying to turn the chief justice’s attention towards their woes.

It was due to the popularity of the CJ among the general public in Pakistan that attracted a high to the courtroom and people were unable to even find a place to stand. During the day-long hearing, there were also some interesting exchanges on various topics that made the visitors laugh.

Among the visitors to the courtroom was also a young lady whose husband was sacked by higher authorities. She could not get a chance to convey her complaint to the CJ due to the large number of complainants. However, at the end of the day’s proceedings, she finally found a way to be noticed and climbed on the desk in front of the bench urging the CJ that she considers him to be like a father and requested him to order the authorities to restore the job of her husband. Court security tried their best to bring her down, but it eventually took repeated assurances by the chief that she is like his daughter and her issue will be heard properly.

Earlier, when the CJP criticised Chief Minister Pervez Khattak for poor governance and noted that all K-P government officials were busy in cleanliness drives a week before his visit, the CM with a smile on his face said, “You shouldn’t have informed us.”

The reply left the CJ speechless. Later, when asked what the population of Peshawar city is, the chief minister said he did not know.



Responding to the CJP’s observations about poor governance, Khattak said that so far, no party has won consecutive elections in K-P, but PTI will be elected again in the 2018 elections.

The owner of Al-Razi Medical College, who institute was also visited by the chief justice, was brought to the courtroom by the students for over-charging fees. When he appeared in the courtroom, he was in such poor health that he was unable to face the repeated queries of the chief justice. Though he refuted the allegation, students presented the receipt of the fee, he replied that some construction was going on at the college but he lacked the funds, so he charged an extra fee that will be returned to the students. The chief justice said they should go inspect the new construction work and also order the FIA to check the entire record of his institute. The owner of the college then rushed out from the courtroom, saying he was feeling sick.

The oddest reply to a query from the bench was from K-P Chief Secretary Azam Khan, who astonished the courtroom and K-P government lawyers. When Khan was asked where waste generated in the city goes?  He bluntly replied, “We throw it straight into the canals.” When asked where they dump municipal garbage collected daily, he named an open ground near the city. The chief secretary, who had little to say when asked about development projects across the province, ended by noting that once garbage is dumped, “it lays there.”