The judiciary has closed the doors on martial law for good: CJP

CJP praises the legal fraternity for its struggle.

SUKKUR: The Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry was all praise for the legal fraternity at the oath taking ceremony of the newly elected office bearers of Sukkur High Court Bar Asscociation at the Sindh High Court Sukkur bench.

“I realise it’s hard to take on additional responsibilities being a practicing lawyer, but it’s a matter of immense pleasure that all office bearers, right from the district bars to the Supreme Court Bar, are very hard working,” he said.

He expressed confidence that all the office bearers and members of bars would adopt measures to fulfill their responsibilities.

The CJP said that peaceful election of office bearers is an ample proof of lawyers’ unity and their awareness of democratic values, rare in this country, and for this role of all the lawyers in general and the office bearers in particular was commendable. He said that due to the untiring struggle of the lawyers, the judiciary has closed the doors on martial law for good and the dream of upholding the constitution has materialised. It was also because of endeavours of the lawyers, he said, that democracy has prospered and a democratically elected government completed its term. “But we, as a nation, still face many problems like terrorism, lawlessness, kidnapping for ransom, extra judicial killings, sectarian violence, discrimination and unequal distribution of resources”



Justice Chaudhry also said that the constitution clearly marked the limits of all pillars of state for the benefit of all. “If the judiciary fails to deliver, it would adversely impact the upcoming generations,” he said, adding that it was evident how past martial laws and court’s unconstitutional verdicts encouraged further unconstitutional acts.

Other SC judges who attended the event included Justice Khilji Arif Hussain, Justice Sarmad Jalal Usmani, Justice Ameer Hani Muslim, Justice Afzal Khan, Justice Mohammad Athar Saeed, SHC Chief Justice Justice Musheer Alam, Justice Maqbool Baqar, Justice Salahuddin Panhwar, Justice Ahmed Ali Shaikh and Justice Sajjad Ali Shah. Office bearers and members of district bar associations of Sukkur, Ghotki, Khairpur and Naushahro Feroze were also among the audience.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 8^th, 2013.