Daily Times

Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui recently went on record to tell the nation the difficult path our judges must tread for justice. Phones are tapped, pressure is applied — the powers-that-be get the verdicts they need, come hell or high water. This isn’t the first time the judge has voiced concerns about external elements disrupting democratic processes; last year, he criticised the establishment’s role in Tehreek-i-Labbaik’s sit-in at Faizabad. Many have questioned the timing of these revelations especially two days before the elections.

The unfortunate part of this tale is that Justice Siddiqui is seemingly alone in his stance. The Rawalpindi District Bar Association has distanced itself from the statement. Even the office of the Chief Justice has asked for a clarification in the matter.

It can be argued that Justice Siddiqui’s claims are without merit — where is the evidence? However, for a sitting judge to take a stance as harsh as this one merits some guts. In a fight that democracy is already losing, Justice Siddiqui has highlighted how the judiciary needs to clarify its role in the past one year.

Pakistan Muslim League — Nawaz (PML-N) has lost ground in the run up to the July 25 election. The judiciary has played an important part in picking candidates out of the playing field one-by-one.

At the moment, it is his very peers that stand against him. The bar has not only condemned Siddiqui’s speech, it has also piqued the interest of the CJP. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) has also asked the Supreme Court to flex its muscles and look into the matter. Already, there’s a commission to investigate the Justice on its way.

Justice Siddiqui is refusing to back down from his statement. Instead, he has gone a step further and asked what happens if his statement is proven right.  *

Published in Daily Times, July 24^th 2018.