Daily Times

Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar Monday said new dams have become indispensable for the future generations.

“Dams have become indispensable for our future generations. For God’s sake, love this country … give one year to this country and see what it becomes. We will leave a precious gift for the future generations,” the top judge said while addressing a ceremony in Quetta. Speaking about his campaign to raise funds for the construction of Diamer-Bhasha and Mohmand dams, the chief justice said, “It is our responsibility to correct ourselves and look inwards to fix our faults.”

Urging the nation to love ‘Quaid-e-Azam’s Pakistan’, the top judge questioned, “What are the reasons that today after 40 years we are thinking about the issue … water will be extremely precious in Balochistan after seven years. Did people not know how significantly the water level has been dropping in the province?” Questioning what measures were taken in light of the significant drop in water level in Balochistan, the chief justice said, “No one will hold these people accountable. Now is the time to give back to the country and people should come forward for this noble cause.”

The chief justice said institutions are not affected by whether someone remains or not and that those who will fill the post after his retirement are better than him. “Three months ago, we increased the number of judges in high courts and made it nine plus one instead of six plus one. The representation of Balochistan in the Islamabad High Court is inevitable,” he said. Stating that institutions are not affected by who is in charge at a given time, the chief justice said, “It does not matter whether someone stays or not and whether I remain or not, the institution that is the Supreme Court will remain. The people who will come after me are better than me.” The chief justice shared that Balochistan High Court judges and staff have handed him a cheque of donation for the dam fund.

Earlier in the day, the chief justice inaugurated the newly constructed building of the Supreme Court registry in Quetta. Speaking on the occasion, he said the project has been completed as a result of collective efforts of the officials concerned and engineers. “I pray that this building plays a role in delivering justice to the people,” he said, noting that institutions are not defined by buildings but by the people who work there. “Societies are formed on the basis of justice,” he added.

Published in Daily Times, December 11^th 2018.