'Improved justice system first step towards welfare state'

AJK president condemns promulgation of 37 new laws in Occupied Kashmir

ISLAMABAD: Azad Jammu and Kashmir President Sardar Masood Khan on Friday appreciated efforts of the judiciary to ensure the rule of law in the liberated territory, saying that providing the early and inexpensive justice to the people is the first step towards establishing a welfare state.

The AJK president remarked after acting Chief Justice of Azad Jammu and Kashmir High Court Justice Azhar Salim Babar presented the annual report of the high court for the year 2019.

"The judiciary owes the heavy responsibility of providing justice and ensuring protection of the rights of the common folk," he said, adding that only a strong and active judiciary can play its role in establishing the writ of law in the society.

Speaking on the occasion, Justice Babar said that after taking the oath in November, he had introduced a foolproof monitoring system for the district and other lower judiciary – which had pulled down the pendency graph.

“Judgements of 620 cases in February, including nine murder cases, had not only improved the justice system but has also enhanced the trust of people that they hold in the system,” Babar said, adding that the people of the state particularly the litigating fraternity had attached great expectations with the state judiciary.

“We are fully trying to come up to their expectations."

Referring to 2019, the acting chief justice said that several important steps related to district and the lower judiciary were taken, and he had encouraged the appointment of all civil judges, court officers and non-judicial staff through NTS system to ensure transparency in the process.

“The performance report of the high court for the year 2019 reveals that 49,000 of 90,143 cases pending in the district courts of Muzaffarabad. Nine of 14 cases of murder were decided in the courts of Neelam district,” he said, adding that 26 out of 98 cases of murder were decided by the district courts of Bhimber. Besides, 45 of 102 cases of murder have been decided by the district courts of Mirpur.

Shedding light on other district courts, the acting chief justice said that courts of Kotli disposed of 41 of 112 cases of murder, while 26 out of 41 cases of murder had been decided by the district courts of Pullundri. In all 45 of 90 cases of murder were resolved in Rawalakot, while nine of 15 cases were disposed of by district courts in Haveli, while only 16 of 28 cases were decided.

Unified educational system aims advancement: PM Imran

While condemning promulgation of 37 new laws in Occupied Kashmir, he asserted that Kashmiris will never accept these forced laws.

Commenting on an order issued by the Indian home ministry,  President Masood said that the motive behind the promulgation of All India Services Act, census act, services tax act, income tax act, and bankruptcy act after approval from the Indian cabinet, was to annihilate the separate entity of Kashmir.

“Promulgation of these laws is the continuation of the actions taken by the Modi regime on August 5 to merge Jammu and Kashmir with the union of India.”

Rebuking restrictions on the movement of citizens in Ladakh, Leh and Kargil, je underscored that according to reports, the Indian Army was preventing the people of Kargil from moving towards Srinagar, which has added to the miseries of the besieged people.

The AJK president also called upon the international community particularly the United Nations to take notice of the latest illegal actions of the Indian government in Occupied Kashmir.