CJP Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry has acceded to the request of the Election Commission of Pakistan to grant relaxation in the National Judicial Policy.
In his letter(s) addressed to the District & Sessions Judges, Additional District & Sessions Judges and Senior Civil Judges/Civil Judges, appointed as District Returning Officers, Returning Officers and Assistant Returning Officers, he has stated that while formulating National Judicial Policy, it was considered appropriate to keep the judiciary away from the election process so that it could concentrate all its strength on clearance of backlog and expeditious dispensation of justice.
“ However in order to ensure transparency and credibility of the electoral process, the NJPMC has granted relaxation in the National Judicial Policy, to ensure transparency and fairness in general elections, by deputing Judicial Officers to perform functions for conducting General Elections for National Assembly / Provincial Assembly seats”, remarked the CJP.
The CJP further elaborated that Justice of Pakistan had observed that the district judiciary was “our face and we depend upon our judicial officers, their deployment in the election process to be in the national interest and now it is their moral and legal duty to prove their worth and credibility by conducting election in a free, fair and transparent manner.
He further stated that since, the process of entertaining nomination papers and scrutiny was underway thus any decision taken by the judiciary would go a long way in shaping the destiny of this nation, particularly at this crucial stage when the country and the nation was confronted with number of problems and difficulties.
“ It is therefore imperative that, we should come out with commitment to enforce the constitutional mandate and ensure that the elected representatives come forward to govern this country without having any label of any disqualification”, he penned , adding that “the Judicial Officers are required to discharge their responsibilities in accordance with law, without succumbing to any sort of pressure and treat all and sundry equally across the board.
The Hon’ble CJP also contended that he was sending this letter to the District Returning Officers, Returning Officers and Assistant Returning Officers, since due to his preoccupation in judicial work, it would not be possible for him to reach each and every judicial officer engaged in the election process, with a pledge that all must strive together to strengthen the democratic order and enrich the judicial norms.