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Friday, October 14, 2011

Justice among people, a divine attribute: CJP Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP), Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry has said in Islam, justice among people is a divine attribute, which is considered as one of the most sacred and important obligations.
CJP said this while addressing full court reference held here Thursday on the retirement of Justice Mahmood Akhtar Shahid Siddiqui.

He went on to say Establishing justice in the society is not merely a voluntary endeavour. The vision of Islamic society cannot be fulfilled if it is not based on justice, equality, tolerance and freedom. The Holy Quran says: - “Allah Commands doing justice, doing good to others and giving to near relatives, and He forbids indecency, wickedness and rebellion…”
He held the Judiciary as an institution can never be independent until and unless individual judges remain impartial. The judges are the pillars of the judicial institution and they are expected to avoid such words, actions and situations that might make them appear prejudiced and disrespectful to the oath they are sworn to abide by, he stressed. . At the same time lawyers, clients and witnesses are also expected to refrain from unjust criticism of the judges and the judiciary. 
He went on to say the bench, bar and the litigant public are all part and parcel of the same judicial system of Pakistan. They have to work in collaboration with one another in order to achieve the objectives of justice and to establish peace and tranquillity in the society, he maintained.
Pakistan being a democratic state is based on the Islamic principles of social justice wherein the State is responsible to establish justice and eradicate all forms of oppression, transgression and tyranny. Rule of law is one of the important attributes of Islamic injunctions, he added.
He maintained the Constitution of Pakistan 1973 is based on the trichotomy of powers, namely, the Legislature, the Executive and the Judiciary. Each of these operates within its jurisdictional domain independently of the others.
Judiciary has to be resolute in upholding the rule of law and the canons of justice in accord with constitutional norms, he underscored.
Commending the services of Justice Mahmood Akhtar Shahid Siddiqui he said Justice Siddiqui remained an emblem of uprightness and sagacity in his entire judicial career. His contribution will ever remain a milestone in the judicial history of Pakistan for burying the doctrine of necessity, CJP remarked. Online