Daily Times

Multan: While addressing the Multan High Court Bar on Saturday, Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar emphasised the need for the incoming government to root out corruption and to enhance spending on health and education.

He said that since the death of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, corruption had been seeping into the edifice of state institutions of Pakistan. He said that the subsequent generations of leaders could not take effective measures to tackle the menace. “If we do not end this menace now, we won’t be able to give anything of value to our coming generations,” he said, adding that there was a need for a jihad (holy war) against corruption.

Further, the CJP turned to provision of basic amenities of life, noting that providing all basic needs was the responsibility of the executive and adding that ensuring that the executive performed its duties was the responsibility of courts.

The CJP also offered suggestions to the incoming government. He said that the new government should prioritise education and health sectors, while formulating its policies. “Are we prioritising health and education?” he asked, maintaining that public funds were of no use if they were not being spent on health and education needs of the people. “We have no other interest greater than Pakistan,” he said.

“Pakistan was not given to us in bounty or as a gift. It was achieved after great struggle and sacrifices.

The CJP said that after getting up early in the morning everyday, I reminded himself that he was a Pakistani before anything else.

CJP Nisar lamented that public education was in a poor state in the country. Private education had been turned into a business with the mushroom growth of private schools. He said that common people could not afford the fee of private schools.

Regarding the issue of water scarcity, he said the issue had taken alarming proportions in Karachi and added that construction of dams was inevitable. The CJP told that audience that his granddaughter who had come to Pakistan only for a month to spend Eid with the family donated her pocket money and eidi amounting to Rs60,000 to his dam fund.

He urged the audience to crush all conspiracies against construction of new dams. The Chief Justice of Pakistan said that Kalabagh Dam would be constructed with the consensus of provinces, however, ‘we should first build dams on which there was a consensus among all stake holders’.

Recalling his recent experience in Gilgit Baltistan, he said sessions judges in the region told him that no cases of crime were reported there. Referring to the recent attacks on schools in Diamer district of Gilgit Baltistan, the CJP said that the attack took place right after he raised voice for construction of dams.

Pacifiying the lawyers in the gathering, the CJP said that if needed he would take suo moto action to set up more courts. He said a committee had been formed to address the issues of the lawyers community.

Further, the CJP announced that income tax tribunals would be made functional within three months.

Separately, speaking at a gathering organised by the Multan District Bar Association, the CJP praised the role of women lawyers and said a safe environment needed to be ensured to let women lawyers practice the profession with peace of mind.

He said that women lawyers had served the profession well besides playing a great role for empowerment and protection of women in the society.

Addressing the gathering, the CJP said that he had received the reservations of the legal community of Multan about the shifting of courts to the judicial complex. “I have addressed the reservations and directed that the chambers be shifted back to the district courts.”

Earlier, the CJP’s vehicle was stopped by protestors at the entrance of the District Bar building. Among the protestors were officials of MEPCO, PTCL and the family of a boy killed in Bahawalpur.

The CJP also visited Nishtar Hospital and Children Hospital and inspected various wards where he found the conditions to be ‘horrible’. He expressed anger and dissatisfaction over the poor health facilities being provided to the patients at hospital.

Published in Daily Times, August 5^th 2018.