Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial on Friday said all political parties must sit together to follow the established democratic practices and perform their respective roles in the parliament under the constitution.
Addressing the 9th International Judicial Conference, the chief justice said the ongoing political impasse could only be resolved through dialogue between political leaders and their parties.
He said the political leadership should take necessary corrective steps and confidence-building measures with national interest as their foremost consideration.
The CJP urged all state organs to play their role in upholding the rule of law and supremacy of the constitution in the country as the judiciary alone could not pursue the ideals.
The chief justice said courts were the primary institution for establishing the rule of law. In Yusuf Raza Gilani’s case, it was clear that the courts could establish the rule of law through constitutional supremacy, he added.
The CJP said the court’s function was to strike a balance between the state and citizens. The court played a supreme role in the establishment of democracy by burying the doctrine of necessity, he added.
He said the Supreme Court ordered the introduction of Urdu language as the official language. In 2019, the Supreme Court took a suo motu notice on the increasing population, but unfortunately, there was no progress on it, he added.
He said the court would again work on a priority basis on the growing population in the country.
He said due to the efforts of the case management committee comprising Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Muneeb Akhtar, the backlog of pending cases had been reduced.
“I am sure that the present judges will not allow anyone to negate the constitution,” he said.
The chief justice said the court had the authority to declare the rights guaranteed to the people by the constitution and the law but it could not implement the same except in some circumstances.
He said the Supreme Court had also delivered landmark judgments to reinforce other dimensions of rule of law.
The chief justice recalled that the court had to intervene after the president ordered the dissolution of the National Assembly in April 2022 on the advice of the then prime minister. It found the dissolution unconstitutional and ordered the restoration of the National Assembly for the formation of a parliamentary government in accordance with the provisions of the constitution.
Chief Justice Bandial said the apex court had also been active in dispensing social, economic and cultural justice to the people and concerted efforts were underway to reduce the backlog of cases. staff report
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