SC full bench to hear 26th Amendment case, believes Justice Kayani

ISLAMABAD: Islamabad High Court Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani has said that the 26th Constitutional Amendment was passed on the basis of a letter, and he believed the Supreme Court Full Bench would hear the 26th Constitutional Amendment case.

Addressing an event of the Islamabad High Court Bar Association here on Tuesday, Justice Kayani said that issues related to personal freedoms and other concerns were apparent to everyone, and there was a need for the media that protects personal freedoms. He added that we need upright lawyers who later become upright judges. He praised the bar saying it is highly capable and that the performance of the lawyers is improving.

The IHC judge said that both judges and lawyers could make mistakes but the lawyers had greatly improved over the past 10 years. “We need independent judges who uphold the dignity of the judiciary,” he added.

He further said that the 26th Constitutional Amendment was made based on a letter, and “regardless of whether it is the 26th Constitutional Amendment, you cannot be disheartened by your institutions. Such phases have occurred in Pakistan’s history and today people place their hopes in the judiciary Parliament and media”, he remarked.

He said that he believed the 26th Constitutional Amendment would ultimately be heard by a Full Bench of the Supreme Court and the issue would be resolved for the sake of the people and the survival of the system in Pakistan.

“We will soon send back the judges from Islamabad who came on deputation and it should be the case that any judge appointed should be from the Islamabad Bar,” he said, adding, there was an impression that judges were appointed from outside which deprives local judges of their rights. “The new appointments will also be made from Islamabad.”

Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani said that a strong bar is also needed from which judges should be selected. “We need a strong media that presents everything to the people.”He further said that the system faces many issues, including missing persons’ issue, and that they all were Pakistanis who wanted to see the country making progress. “We want every Pakistani to feel their rights are secure and nothing is outside the constitutional framework,” he concluded.