Chief justice ought to set own house in order: Shah

ISLAMABAD: Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah Monday said the chief justice of Pakistan should set his own house in order adding that courts were not meant for rule but to provide justice.

“Besides improving the governance of other institutions, Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar should also take care of his own institution, as 800,000 cases are pending with courts,” he said while talking to newsmen in his chamber at the Parliament House.

The opposition leader said it should be seen how many cases were pending with the civil courts, sessions courts and high courts. He also proposed an increase in the strength of Supreme Court and High Court judges saying that the strength of Supreme Court judges should be 35, of Lahore high Court between 60 and 80 and of Sindh High Court 45.

Lashing out at the Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Imran Khan, Khursheed said resignations must come up immediately after announcement of resignations by Imran Khan. “After Imran’s announcement, resignations should not take days and must come up immediately,” he said.

Khursheed was of opinion that law should be same for everyone. He said the PTI parliamentarians received a salary of over Rs110 million and perks and privileges from Parliament, while Imran Khan received a salary of Rs7 million to Rs8 million and he should return it.

Khursheed said the talk of resignations was only aimed at disturbing the system. He said the PPP was a democratic party and will not allow anyone to derail the current democratic dispensation.

Khursheed said he often said in inside and outside Parliament that institutions should function independently and avoid intruding into domain of each other. “If intrusion continues, then it will destroy and weaken the institutions. When a state weakens, there’s the rule of might is right.”

To a question about the suspended SSP Malir Rao Anwar, the opposition leader denied that former president Asif Ali Zardari was backing him saying all the reports in this regard were baseless. He said an innocent person was killed and justice should be delivered.

He said if Rao Anwar was not appearing before the investigation panel then a judicial inquiry should be conducted. “If a judicial inquiry is conducted then it would only bring worries for Rao Anwar. Rao Anwar should face the situation and appear before the inquiry,” he said.