Law point: ‘Judges, lawyers helped restore democracy’

Chief Justice of Pakistan says people’s confidence in judiciary building with every passing day.

GUJRANWALA:

Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Chaudhry has said that the independent courts and lawyers have laid the foundation for the restoration of democracy in Pakistan.

Addressing lawyers at the Quaid-i-Azam Bar Hall at the Gujranwala sessions courts building, he said people had high hopes from the judiciary. He said judges and lawyers should play their role in the delivery of justice. He said there were no differences between the bench and the bar. He said the bar had always put principles ahead of personal interests. He said justice could not be delivered without cooperation between judges and lawyers. He said the only section of the society fighting for the rule of law was lawyers.

He said lawyers had been a big help in calming down Balochistan and Karachi. He said people’s confidence in the judiciary was increasing with every passing day. The social media was also supporting the judiciary.

He said the state should take steps to ensure justice was delivered to the ordinary citizen. He said the courts and lawyers had not enjoyed the status they had today, and that was because of the struggle of lawyers. He said both difficult and easy cases were put before the courts, but lawyers should hold the Constitution supreme and work for the rule of law.

Lahore High Court Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial said the Gujranwala bar was one of the best in the Punjab. He said many judges liked to work in this district.

He said almost all cases filed before 2008 had been decided with the cooperation of lawyers. He said verdicts were awaited on only 240 civil cases filed before 2008.

Gujranwala Bar Association President Gul Nawaz Goraya said people like the chief justice of Pakistan were rare. He demanded the establishment of a federal Investigation Agency court and an LHC bench in Gujranwala and judicial complexes for Nowshera Virkan and Kamoke.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 6^th, 2013.