IHC CJ asks politicians to solve issues in Parliament, not courts

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice Islamabad High Court (IHC) Athar Minallah Monday advised the country’s political leadership against bringing their conflicts to courts and rather strengthening the Parliament by resolving those issues in democratic ways.

Addressing a full court reference in his honor at the Islamabad High Court, he explained that the political leadership can strengthen the implementation of the constitution. He said it is the responsibility of the political leadership to resolve the cases in the Parliament instead of bringing them to the courts.

“Our tragedy is the state has failed to shoulder its responsibilities. Half of our life was spent in dictatorships, while the courts in their rulings have time and again reiterated there is no supremacy of law and that law is only for the elite,” the CJ of IHC said while addressing a full court reference organised in his honour. He said the IHC was not like any other high court as it represented the federation. “The implementation of the law is linked to a change of mindset. Political leadership can strengthen the execution of the Constitution.”

It was the responsibility of the political leadership to resolve their issues in the legislature instead of dragging them to courts of law, he added. He further said their (judiciary’s) performance could be gauged by how much trust the public had in the legal system. “The answer to the question ‘if there is any civilian and constitutional supremacy’ is a no. There’s no rule of law here, but the rule of the elite,” he added.

Furthermore other speakers on the occasion nominated by the full court reference included IHC CJ-designate Justice Aamer Farooq, Islamabad Bar Council Vice Chairman Qamar Sabzwari, Islamabad High Court Bar Association President Shoaib Shaheen, Advocate General Islamabad Barrister Jehangir Khan Jadoon and Additional Attorney General Barrister Munawar Iqbal Doggal. The attendees in full court reference included the Advocate General Islamabad officers of the Attorney General’s Office, the Islamabad Bar Council the High Court Bar and a large number of lawyers. Other than that Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, Justice Babar Sattar, Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir, Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan and Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz were also present.