A tenure of surprise visits

Known for his judicial overreach and political intervention, Nisar made a number of surprise visits during his tenure

KARACHI: The two-year long era of judicial activism instituted by Chief Justice Saqib Nisar ends.

Elevated to the top judge's rank succeeded Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali, Mian Saqib Nisar assumed office as the 25th Chief Justice of Pakistan in December 2016.

Justice Nisar, known for his judicial overreach and political intervention made a number of surprise visits while he served as the top jurist of the apex court.

Amid some of the greatest national developments — the July 25 general polls, Imran Khan's first time as premier and conviction of a former three-time prime minister — 2018 also became known as the chief justice's year.

As the top judge's tenure ends, The Express Tribune takes a look at the surprise visits made by him during the time he spent in office.

Top judge drops in on Shahrukh Jatoi's prison cell

In a surprise visit in October 2018, Justice Nisar dropped in on Shahzeb Khan murder case convict Shahrukh Jatoi at Karachi's Malir Jail.

Angered at the VIP treatment being meted out to murder convict Jatoi, the chief justice ordered shifting the prisoner to the death cell.

Upon witnessing the treatment dispensed to the convict, the chief justice issued directives to suspend the jail superintendent for criminal negligence.

Jatoi, on the occasion, was found enjoying B-class facilities.



Chief Justice discovers liqour bottles from Sharjeel Memon's hospital room

On September 1, Justice Nisar crashed Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Sharjeel Memon's hospital room and discovered liqour bottles.

The incident unfolded during a whirlwind of visits to hospitals by the CJP where various high-profile suspects with links to the PPP were being treated.

Sources privy to the development commented that the former minister was sleeping in his VIP room when the chief justice reached the Ziauddin Hospital, Clifton, where Memon was admitted.

Later a case was registered against Memon, who had been facing charges of misappropriating billions of rupees during his tenure as Sindh information minister in the last PPP government.

CJP makes surprise visit to Lahore mental health institution

In April, the top judge made a surprise visit to the Punjab Institute of Mental Health (PIMH). On the occasion, he examined facilities and treatment being provided to the patients and interacted with them.

Justice Nisar also examined the wards, the hospital’s kitchen, medical stores and expressed disappointment at the current state of affairs and the hospital’s lack of medical facilities.

The poor state of affairs of the mental health institute came to the forefront during a suo motu case pertaining to a prisoner serving life imprisonment.



Chief justice embarks on surprise visit to Pims

In June, Justice Nisar made a surprise visit to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims).

During the visit, he noted that services at the largest tertiary care hospital in the capital had improved. However, the top judge pointed out a shortage of beds and rooms at the facility and directed towards further improvement.

While he was there, the top judge also expressed annoyance over patients lying in corridors. He noted that the new management had brought a visible change in the services but there was room for additional improvement.

Referring to the strikes by doctors and other staff over various issues, Justice Nisar said that no strike was allowed in Pims and asked the doctors to report to their duty stations on time and focus on patient care.



Justice Nisar admonishes Larkana judge during the surprise visit

In June, Justice Nisar paid a surprise visit to Larkana's lower courts to observe their proceedings. In the same visit, he also visited Chandka hospital in the Sindh city.

While visiting city court-III though, the chief justice grabbed a sessions judge’s cellphone and flung it on his table. He then asked the judge of the cases he had heard since morning.

Separately, the top judge met different members of the lawyer fraternity and clarified that he would not be harassed by their protests and strikes.



Justice Nisar visits Peshawar Central Jail, grills management

The country's top jurist in May visited the Peshawar Central Jail and voiced discontent over lack of health facilities in the prison.

The chief justice, while visiting a section which deals with inmates suffering from mental disorders, grilled the hospital management and raised concerns over lack of basic amenities.



Chief justice visits Mayo Hospital, Lahore 'unannounced'

In December 2017, the top judge visited Lahore's Mayo Hospital in a surprise visit. During his 40-minute visit to the facility, he expressed satisfaction over the cleanliness at the hospital, which was much better as compared to other hospitals.



Visit to banned charity in Balakot

In April, the chief justice arrived in Balakot to review the work for the rehabilitation of the 2005 earthquake victims.

Earlier, the same day, the CJP headed a three-judge bench which heard a case on the alleged embezzlement of $5 billion aid given by the international community for rehabilitation of the quake-affected area. Justice Nisar had taken a suo motu notice of the alleged corruption over a petition filed by area locals.