LAHORE – The mood of ‘reconciliation’ and ‘co-existence’ between the judiciary and executive was on display on Saturday with Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Chaudhry, other judges and all PPP-dominated bars led by SCBA president Asma Jahangir gathered under one roof in Lahore to mull over need of giving legal and judicial system of the country a pro-people orientations.
A day-long judicial seminar organized by Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) here at a local hotel on topic of “Dispensation of Justice-Challenges Ahead” ended with implicit message that the time for uncalled for tussles between judiciary and executive has gone and people now await relief from both the government and the judicial system and time to has come deliver justice to the people in the real sense of the word.
Desire for a ‘silent revolution’: It seemed that the pro-government lawyers and bar associations led by Asma Jahangir were edging towards leading a ‘silent revolution’ in legal and judicial system of the country by recommending pro-people legislations. Law Minister Babar Awan and Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Chaudhry promised SCBA President Asma Jehangir that the seminar’s recommendations will be sent to the national judicial policy making committee for consideration.
The seminar proved a success as it signaled the start of a new friendship between hitherto bar and the bench as well as the federal government and judiciary. The impression was that all the pillars of the state were thinking about revolutionizing the legal system by working together the people’s interest.
Re-imagining colonial law: In one voice, the judges and lawyers including law minister Babar Awan and Aitzaz Ahsan hinted at the need of judicial reforms to improve the system as the old legal system left by the British had many flaws and bottlenecks which hampered the process of dispensation of justice. Participants with different ideological backgrounds debated in a friendly atmosphere with no overt tension seen with PML-N leaders including Sardar Zulfiqar Khosa present and at ease with PPP men.
The Chief Justice of Pakistan chaired the first session of the seminar. In their speeches at seminar organized by SCBA aiming at deliberations on the judicial system, CJP Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Federal Law Minister Babar Awan, Asma Jahangir, Aitzan Ahsan and other bar leaders admitted that the law of the land and the judicial system were not people friendly and failing to give speedy justice to masses.
Judges and lawyers shared with participants written deliberations on five sub-topics: (1) Key Legal Reforms, (2) Public Interest Litigation- (3) Protection of Human Rights, (4) Judicial Policy- Its Weakness and Strengths, (5) Accountability of Lawyers and Judges under the main theme “Dispensation of Justice-Challenges Ahead”. CJP Iftikhar Chaudhry and Asma Jahangir made their speeches in the first sitting while Babar Awan spoke after the chief justice left the hall making his speech in the first sitting.
Punjab CM does not appear: The second session was scheduled to be chaired by Mian Shahbaz sharif but he did not come despite the fact that he was scheduled host of the lunch for participants of the seminar. Instead the CM sent PML-N Punjab chapter president Sardari Zulfiqar Khosa on his behalf to address the seminar which was crowded by PPP lawyer lobbies. Participants, however, did not agree that the CM did not come because of differences with PPP led bars or because he did not like ‘growing friendships’ among the CJP, Asma and Babar Awan.
PPP-bar leaders including Pakistan Bar Council vice chairman Abdul Latif Afridi, Punjab Bar Council chairman Muhammad Lehrasib Gondal, highlighted grey areas in the judicial system and the miseries of litigants. Justice Tassadduq Hussain Jillani, Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk, Justice Mian Saqib Nisar of the Supreme Court, LHC Chief Justice Ijaz Ahmad Chaudhry, LHC judges and a large number of SCBAP members were also present.
