Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” As in the past, Pakistan witnessed the assassination of the first Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan, judicial murder of the all-powerful Prime Minister Zulifiqar Ali Bhutto, and killing of Benazir Bhutto, the daughter of the East. These are some dark points in our history that highlight the failure of our justice and the inability to uphold rule of law.
Very recently, the horrific tragedy of Model Town, cold-blooded murder of the young Shazeb Khan, stabbing of the young Khadija, manufactured fake encounter of Naqibullah Mahsud, lynching of liberal minded Mashal Khan, brutal assassination of Ali Raza Abidi, and the fatal shooting of four people in Sahiwal by CTD officials raise some thought-provoking questions that are yet to be addressed. All of these incidents are proof that out justice system is fractured and is in need of immediate reforms.
Asif Saeed Khosa’s vision is much needed in Pakistan at the time. This is especially true after Saqib Nisar’s time as a chief justice, that was characterized by robust judicial activism which went beyong the institution’s ambit.
Excessive judicial activism, outdated procedural methods, unnecessary litigation, dearth of erudite judges, increase in population, chronic backlog, and frequent adjournments are some of causes for our fracture judicial system, which is on the brink of collapse. This greatly causes delays in justice provision. It is the need of the hour to take pragmatic and forward looking approach with the help off legislative, executive and judiciary itself to ensure viable, fair and effective justice to ensure a more modern, tolerant, inclusive and progressive society.
For this, incorporating e-system, increasing number of the erudite judges, updating procedural method, time- bound hearings, effective legislation, avoiding judicial activism and unnecessary litigations are some required measures that need to be implemented to ensure speedy justice to all.
AAMIR KHAN WAGAN,
Larkana, January 21.