Pakistan’s Chief Justice (CJ) Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry said that the Pakistani judicial system was the strongest backer of constitutional principles and democratic norms and that it enjoyed the full faith and confidence of the legal fraternity, other institutions, the media and the public.
He said this while addressing the 30th roll-signing ceremony held on Saturday. He said that a strengthened and independent judicial system played an assertive and decisive role for the promotion of the rule of law.
Furthermore, he said it was the statutory and constitutional responsibility of the judiciary to safeguard fundamental rights. The judiciary has a definite role to play for the effective administration of justice and for the establishment of a just society, based on the respect for law, he stressed.
He added that the three main organs of the country, that is, the judiciary, the executive and the legislature should not transcend beyond their constitutional circumferences through the abuse of authority.
The judiciary being the custodian of the constitution had been specifically equipped with the power of judicial review to check the arbitrary exercise of power by any authority or institution, he remarked.
The National Judicial Policy, he added, which was revised from time to time in consultation with all stakeholders at the national and international level set out guidelines for the judges and lawyers for the prompt and fair dispensation of justice in Pakistan, he added.
It was now the lawyers’ duty to follow them and to facilitate the courts in securing justice at the grass roots level. The hard work and efficient performance of the courts had strengthened public trust in the Pakistan’s justice system, he added.
