In a fiery speech, the CJP has warned the critics to stop misleading people and damaging their trust on the state institutions.
LAHORE: (UrduPoint/Pakistan Point News-Nov 20th, 2021) Chief Justice of Pakistan said that any impression that the courts were working under any pressure.
In a heated speech, Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed said that his court never accepted pressure from any anyone nor would it ever do so.
The CJP was addressing a conference held in memory of late human rights activist and trailblazing lawyer Asma Jahangir.
The CJP also made it clear that allegations that the judiciary was undergoing any pressure by powerful quarters do not sit well with him.
Veteran lawyer Ali Ahmed Kurd had earlier delivered a fiery speech before the speech of Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed. He had indirectly questioned the independence of the judiciary.
The CJP responded Mr. Kurd, saying: “I have never [taken dictation from] any institution and have never been under pressure from anyone,”.
Justice Gulzar Ahmed said no one had ever told him what judgment he needed to hand down and no one had dared to dictate him on his orders.
The Top judge remarked: “No one has interfered in my work — I have made my decisions according to my understanding and as per the Constitution and law,”.
Making an indirect reference to a recent controversy involving former Chief Justice Saqib Nisar and former Chief Justice of Gilgit-Baltistan Rana Shamim, the CJp said that “I have not taken dictation from anhyone till today and my fellow judges follow the same conduct. No one can say that I have taken dictation,”.
The top judge further said that the courts were working independently under the law and the Supreme court judges were striving to serve justice to the people.
“When decisions are announced, some people say they are correct and others think they are wrong. These are peoples’ opinions and they have the right to hold them. Everyone has right to have opinion and everyone has his right to express the same and it must be respected,” CJP Gulzar said, adding that it was beauty of the judiciary and democracy and they would follow it.
“Nobody can dare to stop us,” he added.
He made it clear that difference of opinions did not mean that any party should accuse the courts of being under pressure. The courts’ decisions were like an evolutionary process.
“Our court is free to take decisions and it does what it wants freely. Our courts hears each party to a case and holds them accountable,” he said.
“Can anyone tell us that which decision was dictated? It is not that, so stop creating these thing among the people,” he warned.
He said, “Do not misguide the people, do not spread chaos, do not shake people’s trust in the [state's] institutions,”.
The CJP said, “There is rule of law in Pakistan, not some individual’s. We will continue to work the way we have been,”.
Justice Gulzar also said tht they would support and promote the Constitution, law and democracy in the country and we will not accept any undemocratic setup. We will quit [if forced to do so] and we have done this before.
“That should be enough for today,” he added.
