Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Outgoing Chief Justice of Pakistan Asif Saeed Khosa on Friday said a malicious campaign has been initiated against the judiciary but the truth shall finally prevail.

Justice Khosa made these remarks while addressing a full-court reference organised at the Supreme Court on the eve of his retirement.

The statement just a day after a special court released the detailed verdict in the high treason case against former president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf. The strong-worded verdict, which handed Musharraf the death penalty for imposing emergency in the country on November 3, 2007, has been severely criticised by the government and the ISPR as an ‘attack on the institution of the army’.

Addressing the gathering later, the top judge said, “I always did what I thought was right and was worth doing.”

“I gave my hundred per cent to the job, tried to perform beyond the call of duty, never raised my voice, spoke mainly through my pen, never delayed a judgment unduly and after giving the best years of my life to this public service, I lay down my robes today with a conscience which is clear as crystal.”

He is also critical of flaws in the criminal justice system, stating that false testimonies are a key flaw in the system. “Since we decided to take up this challenge, […] till now some 15 eyewitnesses of the murder cases are being tried for committing perjury in the courts of law in different parts of Pakistan.”

In addition, he is a strong advocate for model courts, stating that they had managed to restore the public’s confidence in the judiciary.