SC judge Mushir Alam commends Family Court judges for protecting sanctity of family, denounces customary practices for being discriminatory against women
Supreme Court Justice Mushir Alam has said that Family Court judges were performing the role of a “social reformer” and also of a “peace broker” between the estranged spouses. Despite having a plethora of problems of a variety of nature, they all deserve a special commendation for their hard work, judicial acumen and sensitivity to resolve these complex cases expeditiously.
He expressed these views in the certificate-awarding ceremony at the conclusion of a one-week training course on “Management of Family Cases” for the judges of Family Courts from all over Pakistan at the Centre of Excellence for Law and Judicial Education/ Federal Judicial Academy on Saturday.
Regarding the institution of family, he said, “It is the basic unit of a human society. The family unit must be educated the rules of sanctity. The integrity of the family bond must be constantly considered, and the rights of the individual members must not be transgressed at any cost.”
Lamenting unfair customary practices and draconian traditions against womenfolk in the society, he said, “Most customary practices and traditions in certain parts of the country are incredibly discriminatory against women. In our society it is seen that cruelty coupled with social and cultural compulsions, increasing intolerance, lack of mutual respect, among others, form a few common grounds for seeking divorce or separation. In such a scenario, it is required from our Family Court judges to step away from conservatism, shed off their prejudices on any ground, and realize the sensitivity of the matter before them, and to protect not the rights of victims but also the institution of family.”
He said, “An effective revamping of the Family Law, building the capacity and infrastructure of family court judges and family courts was imperative to promote accessible, effective and timely justice to the estranged spouses who appear to be on the verge of a breakup once and for all. However, every possible effort should be made to prevent them from a breakup and reconcile for the sake of children and their better future, which is not possible in the broken families , but in the integrated families.”
Presenting his welcome speech and overview of the training course, CELJE/FJA Director General Dr Faqir Hussain said, “Discrimination against gender has no place in our modern day society. All civil and criminal issues in family cases require careful handling and expeditious resolution.”
