LAHORE, Nov 20 (APP: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Gulzar Ahmed on Saturday said that the courts in the country were free to conduct their business.
Addressing the Asma Jahangir Conference 2021 here at a local hotel, he said that no one ever interfered in his work nor he was pressurised and guided to pronounce a specific verdict.
CJP Gulzar Ahmed said that people should not be misguided and the impression that courts were not independent was wrong as he had always given verdicts in accordance with the Constitution and law.
He added that he neither took dictation from anyone nor any institution pressurised him to pass certain verdicts.
Gulzar Ahmed said that the impression that the courts were not independent and were operating under the pressure of institutions was not correct. “We are bound by oath. I have never taken pressure from any institution and never listened to anyone,” the CJP added.
The CJP expressed his anger over former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association Ali Ahmed Kurd’s remarks and urged him to read the judgments of the courts. “We work and will continue to work without pressure. There is rule of law in Pakistan, not human beings,” he added. He further said that no one has dared to interfere in his work, adding that he makes the verdict on his cases according to his understanding and conscience.
He said that the Constitution, law and democracy in the country would always be supported by the judiciary, adding that any undemocratic setup would not be acceptable. “We will resign from our posts which we have done before as well,” he said.
The CJP further said that all judges of the Supreme Court, high courts and lower courts were working hard to provide justice to people.
“The court does what it wants to do. It does not do what anyone else wants it to. No one has ever dared to stop us,” he said. “Do not create misunderstanding among people; do not create chaos and do not make peopel lose trust in the institutions. Tell me whose dictation has been taken,” he asked.
Earlier, Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti said that judiciary was the guardian of citizens’ rights. He said that judiciary had played a significant role in society always. The Constitution gives importance to the fundamental rights of the people, he added. He said that citizens’ rights were basis of democratic society.
CJ Islamabad High Court Athar Minallah, Justice Qazi Faez Isa, senior lawmakers, politicians, journalists and members of civil society and others attended the two-day conference.
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