CJP hopeful of rapid progress after meeting PM

0
152

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar has said that work is underway on the directives of the court and the issues will be resolved soon, especially after his meeting with Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.

The CJP made these remarks while hearing a case pertaining to medicines and injections being stolen from hospitals.

In a major development, the prime minister held a two-hour-long one-on-one meeting with Justice Nisar at the latter’s chambers in the Supreme Court on Tuesday evening during which he assured the top judge of the government’s full support for his judicial reforms vision while the CJP promised to uphold the law without “fear or favour”.

During Wednesday’s hearing, the additional attorney general informed the court that, as per its orders, the ministry concerned has sent the summary of hospital heads in Islamabad to the Establishment Division.

In response, Justice Nisar said that the court orders are being implemented quickly. All the matters are being resolved quickly since the meeting. “God willing, nothing will come to a standstill now,” the chief justice added.

The meeting between the prime minister and CJP was the first breakthrough meeting between the heads of the executive and judicial organs of the state as the prime minister arrived at the SC without any protocol where he was greeted by the CJP himself at the judges’ gate. The CJP again came out of his chambers to escort the premier on his return.

PM Abbasi showed keen interest in providing all possible assistance in revamping the judicial system of Pakistan as visualised by CJP Nisar.

“The PM assured the CJP that the government would provide all resources to the judiciary in order to enable it to provide speedy and inexpensive justice in addition to facilitating easy access of justice to the people. The premier also highlighted the difficulties of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and the tax department on account of pendency of litigation involving revenue in different courts,” said the source, adding that CJP Nisar assured PM Abbasi that he would look into the matter and such litigation would be fast-tracked.

The meeting came amid speculation about a possible deal being negotiated between the ruling party and the state institutions, paving the way for a safe exit for the lifetime leader of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in corruption cases.