Judiciary trying to curtail establishment's interference: CJ LHC

RAWALPINDI: Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice (CJ) Malik Shahzad Ahmad on Friday regretted the interference of the establishment in the matters of the judiciary, believing that “it will come to its end very soon.”

“Establishment’s interference in the judiciary will have to be fought with bravery, courage and without any fear, and with the belief that this interference, God-willing, will end soon,” said Justice Ahmad while addressing an event in Rawalpindi.

The LHC chief justice noted that he has received complaints and letters of interference in judicial matters by “institutions”, adding that added he was glad that the judiciary was “fulfilling its responsibilities without any fear or greed”.

“We have received other such complaints as well. Many complaints are not in written form as they say evidence would be demanded, which would be difficult to provide,” the he added.

The LHC CJ made these remarks after six Islamabad High Court (IHC) judges wrote a letter to Supreme Court on March 25, accusing intelligence agencies of meddling in judicial affairs.

The IHC judges had demanded Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa to convene the judicial convention to consider the matter of alleged interference of intelligence operatives in the judicial functions.

The six IHC judges — Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, Justice Babar Sattar, Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir, Justice Tariq Mahmood Jehangiri, Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan and Justice Saman Rifat Imtiaz — had written a letter to the chief justice, who is also chairman of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC).

Today, Justice Shahzad said that the judiciary is committed to making decisions based on law and the Constitution. He lamented that many cases have been pending for 30 years, causing difficulties for the weak and marginalized segments of society.

He noted that the cases are delayed because of the unavailability of witnesses, adding that he has consulted with high court judges to solve the issues.

He said that the people living overseas had trouble appearing before the court and their properties in Pakistan are stolen.

The Chief Justice announced the launch of e-courts, which will enable speedy justice and reduce unnecessary delays. He also stressed the need for an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) system, like in other countries, to reduce the burden on courts and save time and money.

Justice Ahmad also mentioned that monitoring systems have been established to track the attendance and performance of judges, and that biometric systems have been installed to ensure punctuality.