Bar leaders praise SC ruling in Paragon corruption case

Abid Saqi, Qalb-i-Hassan urge state institutions to act in accordance with judgment to ensure easy access to justice

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan Bar Council Vice Chairman Abid Saqi and Supreme Court Bar Association President Syed Qalb-i-Hassan on Wednesday commended the Supreme Court verdict given in the Paragon Housing Society corruption case, terming it as one of the landmark judgments in the country’s history.

In a statement, the bar leaders said the judgment, authored by Justice Maqbool Baqir, truly reflected the ground realities and real problems of the people on account of rapidly deteriorating performance of different state Institutions.

They eulogised the legal acumen of the judges on the two-member bench, which handed down the historic judgment, emphatically touching upon the importance of human dignity, significance of fundamental rights of the citizens and respect for the rule of law and supremacy of the Constitution.

“The findings and remarks of the Hon’ble Supreme Court, as per its verdict against the National Accountability Bureau, amply reflect about the bias of NAB in handling cases to utter disregard of basic principles of dispensation of justice and fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution,” the statement read.

“The handling of cases by NAB, over the years, for political victimisation just to please the government, has lowered down the image of anti-graft body which, in fact, has become a tool for arm-twisting of political opponents of government of the day.”

The joint statement called upon the government and all the state institutions to act in accordance with dictates of the judgment to ensure fair play and easy access to justice which was the only way for good governance and providing true justice to the people coupled with their sense of security and safety.