Unable to put house in order, says CJP on judicial reforms

Justice Nisar hinted that a larger bench could be constituted to hear the matter in future

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar said that he has been unable to put his house in order while hearing a petition regarding judicial reforms.

“I openly admit that I have been unable to put the house in order,” CJP remarked during the hearing of a petition filed by five young lawyers.

The CJP hinted towards the formation of a larger bench that could be constituted to hear the matter in future. However, he further asked the petitioner to visit his chambers to discuss the matter.



Meanwhile, the four-member bench headed by the CJP also asked the Balochistan High Court (BHC) and other respondents in the petition to submit their replies. Petitioner Umer Gilani stated that there is a need to amend the rules to curb delays in dispensing justice. The CJP said that high courts could amend their rules.

In January, CJP launched an initiative for judicial reforms. He started his mission by visiting the Quaid’s mausoleum in Karachi where he offered Fateha and prayed for the country’s success, peace and tranquillity.

It is expected that the CJP may constitute a committee comprising SC judges to bring judicial reforms.

The CJP pledged to take judicial reforms to fruition expeditiously so that the general public begins to reap the benefits of this initiative as soon as possible. The CJP also chaired all Pakistan Chief Justices Conference to launch judicial reforms.

With regards to his visit to Larkana District Courts, CJP clarified that the judge had decided only two bail applications and orders were yet to be dictated in the cases.

However, the Karachi Bar Association has passed a strong resolution against the conduct of the CJP and said that his behaviour with judges of the lower courts should not resemble an SHO disciplining an errand boy or a landlord with his sharecropper.



The bar has demanded the CJP to urgently convene a full court meeting of the apex court to discuss concrete steps to redress the adverse repercussions and ensure that all judges are enabled to decide cases independently and restore public confidence in the judiciary as a whole.

The resolution says that judges’ code of conduct requires that a judge should always act for the maintenance of harmony within his own court.

The Bar also objected over CJP visit with TV cameramen. It said that the bar supports transparency in the judicial system but not by carrying out a ‘reality show on live television’. The bar has also objected to the CJP directives to lower courts regarding disputes related to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).