Since the long march in 2009 for restoration of the judiciary people have made it clear how much they need justice and to what extent they can go for an honest man. This historic march from Karachi to Islamabad was indeed a day to remember. The only goal of thousands of people was reinstatement of Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhary and other judges ousted from office by President Pervez Musharraf. What was the motive of that much trouble for one man? Just to get a fair and just Pakistan which they being represented by the Chief Justice and without thinking of all the troubles everyone was ready to come out on the roads and stand for justice. This proves that all we needed back then was fair dealing.
After all the trouble, in a remarkable culmination of public enthusiasm for justice, Chief Justice was restored. The sentiment was transformed into a hope for an impartial and unbiased judicial system. Since then, we have seen many actions taken by the Chief Justice such as so moto notice into the missing persons cases, sacking a Prime Minister for not writing a letter to Swiss Banks, against corruption, increasing prices, failing economy and so on, but one thing that was left out in all these, nearly ineffective proceedings, happens to be justice particularly at the lower courts! The purpose of courts is to exercise laws and provide justice to people, which has not happened in the country at all.
A common man seeking justice is still standing in the line just to be heard, same old courts extending dates for final decisions due to pressure by the influential, same old lawlessness and unmerited policies and same old poor hopeless people demanding justice is very much there. Everything is just as it was before. Where is the revolution we were eager for? Where is the unbiased court system for which the whole country stood up? Unfortunately nowhere!
Without judiciary all the other measures seem useless, as the rich and ruthless still have the power to overrule justice. Until and unless a fair judicial system particularly at the lower courts is set up, all the efforts made by the common man will be futile. Right now, the main concern of the Supreme Court should be to re-establish judiciary to ensure peace and prosperity long awaited by people.
TAYYABA PARACHA,
Lahore, November 8.