LAHORE: Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar has admitted that he may have failed to put his own house (judiciary) in order as per expectations of the people.

“I have no qualms about making this confession,” he said while addressing a gathering of judges from the district judiciary at the Punjab Judicial Academy on Saturday. Sitting judges of the Supreme Court and the Lahore High Court were also present.

The chief justice urged the judges of the lower courts to point out, if they found, conflicting judgements of Supreme Court judges on the basis of a single point of law.

Calls for change in basic law as per needs of modern times to ensure swift provision of justice

“We are not here to perpetuate mistakes, but to correct them,” he told the judges. “We all have to render sacrifices for posterity.”

Chief Justice Nisar said: “I would not justify my suo motu action in human rights cases at this forum. But I would make it clear that the water crisis is a great threat to the stability of the country.”

There had been a criminal negligence on part of those who failed to address the water crisis, he said, adding that international conspiracies had been hatched against construction of dams in the country. “New dams are critical for the survival of Pakistan,” the chief justice emphasised.

Commenting on a slow pace of civil litigation, he said that amendments to substantive law in accordance with the needs of modern times were needed to ensure swift provision of justice. “Amendments to the procedural law only cannot serve this purpose.”

He lamented that even in the era of information technology, the role of “patwari” was still there for transfer of a piece of land. “It takes more than five years normally to obtain a ‘succession certificate’ from a civil court,” he noted with sadness.

Chief Justice Nisar said that unfortunately overall decay in the society had also “compromised the integrity of judges who too are responsible for multiplying litigation”.

He said that the task of dispensing quick justice could not be accomplished unless judges worked with passion. “A minor mistake of a civil judge would waste precious years of litigants,” the chief justice said.

“The justice system could not be compared with the fundamental issues of people like health and education,” the chief justice said. “We have ensured provision of medicines in many hospitals,” he added.

Published in Dawn, July 29th, 2018