- Full court reference held in honour of outgoing CJP
- Suo moto action to be last resort for SC: Justice Khosa
ISLAMABAD, January 17: Outgoing Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Mian Saqib Nisar on Thursday addressed a full court reference held in his honour and said the Supreme Court gave several landmark decisions.
The reference held at the Supreme Court was addressed by retiring Justice Nisar, Chief Justice-designate Asif Saeed Khosa and the President of Supreme Court Bar.
Addressing the full court reference, Justice Nisar said, “The top court gave several landmark decisions, including that of Gilgit Baltistan.”
“We took notice of water scarcity in the country and the whole nation donated to resolve the issue,” he added. “Another issue that the court raised was that of the rapid increase in population,” the outgoing chief justice further said.
Sharing the achievements of the Supreme Court during his term, the chief justice said, “We worked for the rights of the oppressed and gave all citizens the right to lead their lives with respect.”
“We granted overseas Pakistanis the right to vote,” he continued. “We took notice of the high fee charged by private hospitals as well as the matter of granting National Identity Cards (NICs) to transgender persons.”
“The top court took notice of child domestic workers, including Tayyaba,” the outgoing chief justice said. “We tried to resolve issues of health, education and lifestyle as per the rights granted by the Constitution.”
“I tried to return the respect that people honoured me with,” Justice Nisar further stated.
“The work of judges is extremely difficult and corruption in judiciary is equivalent to the murder of justice,” he further said.
Justice Nisar concluded, “I worked within the code of ethics of judges. For me, serving the country was an honour.”
The incoming 26th Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Asif Saeed Khosa, who will be taking oath on Friday said the Supreme Court will take suo moto notices as the last resort , sources reported.
Speaking during a full court reference held in honour of outgoing Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar, Justice Khosa said the top court will only take suo moto action when there is no other solution available.
“The authority will only be used sparingly and for significant national matters,” he said. “Court would set up parameters for suo moto powers.”
The top court judge vowed to speed up delivery of justice in civil court and stated there should be no military intervention in civilian matters. “Military court trials are considered wrong worldwide. There was a perception that military courts held swifter trials.”
Justice Khosa also emphasised the need for all institutions to work together towards the country’s progress. “There was a need for conversations pertaining to whether any institution was interfering in another institution’s work.”Towards the end, he said there was a need for a debate on the charter of governance as well.-Agencies
