Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Asif Saeed Khosa on Saturday stressed on lawyers to better their role in society thereby excelling in history, mathematics and literature, so that others could not point fingers at them. He emphasised on lawyers’ role for collective interest of society rather than for one’s own interest
Addressing students at the graduation ceremony in Pakistan College of Law in Lahore, he said while quoting Lord Denning, a noted English lawyer: “In order to be a good lawyer, you need to master history, mathematics and literature. Lawyers attain ideal status in the society as they ‘fight’ for its betterment.”
“Every law is made in some historical context. We are at a point in history where terrorism as a law is a hot topic in courts,” he highlighted. Justice Khosa said that in the coming few years, lawyers will wonder about the background of such stringent anti-terrorism laws. “To understand the stringency of the law and provisions of the law, you must know the historical background,” he reiterated. Mathematics, he said, is required because all arguments should be mathematically precise.
You may have a beautiful, precise argument, he said, but it may just be in your head. You need language to be able to convey that argument to another mind, he told graduates while indicating the significance of literature.
The Chief Justice recalled the popular mass protest, the Movement for the Restoration of Judiciary, in Pakistan from 2007-2009 for the independence and protection of judiciary.
Furthermore, he outlined an example of his late father, who he said was 55 years of age and used to travel on a bicycle to and from the court. “Everyone used to respect him,” he said, adding that law is still a respectable profession in Pakistan.