PESHAWAR, Dec 26: Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Dost Mohammad Khan said here on Monday that the judiciary would continue protecting democratic system but the rulers should deliver as the masses had suffered a lot.

He also said democracy was the basic demand of the Constitution and even worst kind of democracy if allowed to continue would finally filter the incompetent lot and that neat and clean people would come to power.

“Performance of government departments is on the decline and that the people fail to get their due rights there resulting in increase in the number of cases pending with different courts,” he said during a function hosted in his honour by the Peshawar District Bar Association (PDBA).

The chief justice, who recently assumed the office, said currently, over 40 per cent of the cases pending with the high court were related to departments of federal and provincial governments and autonomous institutions showing that they failed to provide relief to the people.

He regretted that billions of rupees of poor taxpayers had been spent on administrative officers but they did not fully perform their duties compelling the masses to move the court.

Justice Dost Mohammad said after the sacked judges' reinstatement, Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry had formed a larger bench, which later delivered a historic judgment in the imposition of emergency cases wherein several basic principles were formulated to be followed by judges in future.

He further said the same things had been included in their code of conduct as well as their oath of officer and in future no extra-constitutional act would be accepted by judges.

Addressing the rulers, the chief justice said no time had left for speeches and that they had to act for providing relief to the people failing which in future, they would not be in position to approach them for seeking their votes.

He informed participants about the project of the setting up of the Judicial Training Academy on the premises of the old sessions court and said the provincial governor recently promulgated an ordinance for the purpose.

“This academy will be the first of its kind in the country and apart from other facilities, it will include electronic digital library,” he said.

About the call of president PDBA Razaullah Khan for changes to judicial policy for speedy disposal of cases, Justice Dost Mohammad said the backlog had increased due to the two-year long lawyers' movement for the judges' restoration. He said although lawyers were overburdened, they should continue helping the judiciary in early disposal of cases.

The chief justice said in July 2012, several important meetings of judicial bodies, including the Judicial Policy Making Committee, would be held for three days in Peshawar with Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry in the chair. He said lawyers should continue following the existing judicial policy until the said meetings were held in which he would apprise the chief justice of their demands.

“After becoming the chief justice, I released Rs5 million for construction of barrooms for lawyers in the new Judicial Complex. I have issued directives for completion of work within two months,” he said, adding that for the convenience of around 120 women judicial officers and a large number of female lawyers, a woman judicial officer had been posted as secretary to the chief justice for the first time in the court's history.

Justice Dost Mohammad, who had declined to take oath under the Provisional Constitution Order, recalled that at the same venue and almost in same days in 2007, he had addressed a protest grand meeting and told lawyers that the ultimate victory would be of 'black coat and black tie (lawyers)'.

He added that the time had proved that lawyers defeated the worst ever dictator of his time resulting in restoration of judiciary and the Constitution. Earlier on arrival, members of the bar showered rose petals on the chief justice and shouted slogans in his favour.

President PDBA Razaullah Khan presented the welcome address in which he put forward several demands and thanked the chief justice for supporting lawyers on different occasions.