Light at last

The bold steps taken by Justice Qazi Faez Isa, the new chief justice of Pakistan, augur well for a country that has been bedevilled by secrecy and darkness for too long. It was refreshing to see the chief justice do away with all the procedural pomp and glory of the past, and arrive at the Supreme Court in a simple and dignified manner. It was unbelievable to see the live telecast of court proceedings in such a transparent manner and to have all the Supreme Court judges sitting in harmony together.

In my view, it does not matter what the final judgment on the present Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act 2023 might be since the real victory will be the revival of constitutional supremacy. Apart from a few detractors, a majority of the people have stood behind the chief justice for his extraordinary steps. As with any new experiment with such far-reaching consequences there will be a need to fine-tune the system over time. For example, to define those cases which require complete transparency and others which may require more sensitive handling.

Kamal Hyat

Lahore