No good news except from judiciary: CJP

ISLAMABAD: Expressing disappointment over the continued ruckus in the National Assembly during budget session and economic situation of the country, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Asif Saeed Khosa has said the judiciary happens to be the only institution from where people have been hearing good news.

In remarks quoted by Geo News, the chief justice delivered a speech to the judicial officers of the Islamabad model court, where he said he feels depressed when he sees that the members of Parliament do not let Prime Minister Imran Khan and opposition leader Shahbaz Sharif speak in the Parliament.

“I change the channel to avoid it but then one is disappointed by watching World Cup,” said Justice Khosa in reference to Pakistan’s sub-par performance in the tournament. The top judge also said he feels disappointed over the economic situation of the country. “Some say it is in ICU, others claim that it has come out of it. Irrespective of the fact who is responsible for it we aren’t hearing good news from there as well.”

The chief justice also said the judiciary happens to be the only institution which has been performing as per the expectations of the people. “It’s the priority of the judiciary to provide timely justice. The model courts have given decisions on 5,800 cases in 45 days,” he added.

“The judiciary is looking into the issue of delay in the provision of justice and false testimonies,” he said, adding: “Supreme Court is one of a kind which has initiated online proceedings.”

Justice Khosa said the basic objective behind establishing model courts was to provide inexpensive and expeditious justice to the masses. He announced to add one more judge to every district, saying the entire country will have model courts in a few months.

The chief justice said the national judicial policymaking committee will be meeting on Monday and it was on the agenda to now move to civil side. “Civil, family, rent, and magistrate model courts are being launched simultaneously.”

He also announced establishing gender-based violence courts and child courts. “We are going to have over 1,000 gender-based violence courts across Pakistan. Similarly, we are going to have child courts in every district of the country to address children’s problems. In this regard courtroom has been specially designed, which will look like a home, where children can speak their heart without any fear.”

He said a state-of-the-art Research Centre has been established at the Supreme Court, where five to six search engines will be installed to facilitate the legal fraternity and researchers.