Country needs stability. Conflicts happen, but institutions shouldn’t be attacked: CJP
Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa has remarked that the country needs stability, adding that there are conflicts, but institutions should not be attacked. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) should ensure the establishment of the remaining tribunals within a week, he ordered.
A five-member larger bench of the SC headed by CJP Isa heard the appeal of the election commission regarding the formation of election tribunals in Punjab.
At the outset of the hearing, Salman Akram Raja’s lawyer Hamid Khan objected to the chief justice, saying, “My Lord, we have to file an application,” at which Justice Isa said, “You are a senior lawyer and respectable for us. Let us read the order first.”
Hamid Khan said they had an objection to the CJP hearing the case, at which Justice Isa told him to sit down, saying he would be heard later. Hamid Khan then left the courtroom.
During the hearing, Justice Aqeel Abbasi remarked that according to the written reply of the election commission, the issue has been resolved with the consultation of the high court.
The election commission’s lawyer told the court that the Lahore High Court chief justice had established four tribunals and the ECP will appoint the remaining four. Justice Abbasi asked if that meant the matters were settled between the election commission and the LHC chief justice. The ECP lawyer replied in the affirmative, saying the law had changed, so now four tribunals will be appointed by the commission.
The ECP lawyer told the court that Justice Alia Neelam had remarked that there was no need for consultation under the new law.
Justice Jamal Mandokhel said that the chief justice of high courts are not ordinary people, adding that both the CJs and election commission were respectable. “The likes and dislikes in the appointment of judges to the tribunal should end now.”
CJP Isa remarked that the number of tribunals depended on the cases, adding that the number of judges should be decided based on the number of cases. “If the number of judges is low looking at the cases, that will be unfair. I don’t know how many cases are pending in Balochistan or Punjab,” he remarked.
