Judicial Independence: ‘Doors for dictator are closed’

CJ of Peshawar High Court terms the July 31, 2009 verdict of the Supreme Court 'a complete code of conduct'.

PESHAWAR:

The chief Justice of Peshawar High Court has termed the July 31, 2009 verdict of the Supreme Court “a complete code of conduct” and said that the doors for dictators are closed.

During a meeting with the media at the PHC on Thursday, Justice Dost Muhammad Khan said that Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry did not surrender to a dictator and remained defiant when he was surrounded by all ‘the key players wearing uniform’.

Khan said the current judicial system of the country was completely independent and uninfluenced by any force.

“Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani surrendered to the apex court [on Thursday] which has proved that no one is above the law,” he said.

The PHC chief justice further said that people had been filing petitions about missing persons, as more and more families are looking towards the courts for justice as their last hope.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 20^th, 2012.