I want completion of public interest works: CJP

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar on Friday expressed his desire to decide all the pending cases before retirement in order to avoid criticism.

Heading a two-member bench hearing a case pertaining to hike in the prices of medicines, the CJP said he wished he could decide all the pending cases before retirement otherwise adversaries will be raising slogans that ‘I made tall claims but did nothing’. The chief justice gave these remarks after the counsel for the Pharma Bureau — a representative body of multinational pharmaceuticals in Pakistan — asked for a date to be fixed for the next hearing.

The chief justice said he was in more hurry to decide the pending cases. The secretary health submitted an interim report to the bench. According to the report, there were 739 cases incorporated in Category-A, while some 710 cases had been examined. It also highlighted the cases incorporated in Category B, C and D.

The court was informed that the matter relating to fixed prices of some 390 cases would be examined in the current month. The chief justice observed that the court will decide the cases of public importance and directed submission of a complete report in the first week of May, adding he wants that all public-interest development works should be completed. The chief justice said the court would go through the report and pass an appropriate order.

Javed Akhai, a citizen, requested the court to pass an order, abolishing the taxes imposed on pharmaceutical companies.  The chief justice asked the citizen if he wanted the pharmaceutical industry to be tax-free. The citizen replied in the affirmative.

At this, the chief justice said it was Parliament's prerogative to levy or abolish taxes. He said tax matters did not fall in the apex court jurisdiction and the court will move in accordance with the existing relevant laws.

The chief justice asked the citizen if he was running any campaign in this regard he should approach the parliamentarians. Later, the court adjourned further hearing until first week of May.