Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan on Friday maintained that respect for any institution from the judiciary was dependent on those same institutions according the same respect to the judiciary.
Addressing the concluding ceremony for participants of a pre-service training course at the Punjab Judicial Academy, he claimed the judiciary did not want a confrontation with anyone, be it bars, institutions or government, adding such a scenario would only weaken institutions. However, he stressed, similar gestures should be visible from all parties.
The judiciary, he maintained would “respect everyone so long as the courts are given due honor.” Else, he warned, “no one should set high expectations.”
Maintaining the legal fraternity would not work above the law at any cost, he urged the participants to recognize the great responsibility placed on them to work fearlessly, without accepting any pressure or greed. “Fear the God on the throne … we will not be afraid of those on the ground,” he said, emphasizing that the legal fraternity must not become the “B team” of any government, agency or institution.
Noting Punjab alone has 1.4 million pending cases in various courts, he regretted the province had a shortage of judges and was also hampered in delivery of justice due to strikes by lawyers. He thanked the lawyers of Punjab for playing a vital role in ending the “strike culture” at courts, praising Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa and other Supreme Court judges for playing their role in ensuring this.
He said the judicial system was not established to serve powerful personalities but to defend the rights of the vulnerable. He urged all jurists to work tirelessly to realize the dream of an independent judiciary in the country.