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Two-day International Judicial Conference opens:Judiciary put an end to constitutional deviations: CJP
APP
ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Tasadduq Hussain Jillani on Friday said that the judiciary has put an end to constitutional deviations and has upheld the rule of law.
Addressing the inaugural session of the two-day International Judicial Conference (IJC), the CJP said that the judiciary had created awareness among the people about values of democracy and true meanings of fundamental rights.
Chief Justice Jillani pointed out that the judiciary was performing its duties while upholding the respect and independence of other pillars of the state. He said that the Supreme Court was exercising its power of judicial review of administrative actions to safeguard rights of individuals against excesses of the executive. He said that good governance was possible only if every organ and institution of the state, including courts, functions within the parameters of the Constitution. He welcomed foreign delegates and hoped that deliberations would help address a number of legal issues.
He said that the IJC, which had almost become a regular feature, primarily served three key purposes, which were crucial to the proper administration of justice in the country and provided an invaluable platform to lawyers and judges for sharing of ideas across different aspects of the law. He said that the IJC also paved the way for generation of new ideas and approaches to tackle the myriad legal issues being faced not only by Pakistan but were also relevant to nations throughout the world.
Chief Justice Jillani said that the Supreme Court was proud to spearhead and support this initiative with the support of the Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan (LJCP).
“We hope that each one of you will participate fully to take advantage of the tremendous and manifold opportunities that an event such as this offers,” he told the participants.
“I would also like to take this opportunity to underscore the fact that it was the collective determination and effort of the superior judiciary in the post-2007 period that transformed this court from a formal constitutional court to a Supreme Court with a human rights face,” he added “In this avatar, the Supreme Court has time and again affirmed that the essence of constitutional interpretation is, and has to be, the betterment of the people whilst still remaining within the bounds of the law,” the CJP said.
“We are proud to state that the Supreme Court is now fulfilling this role with an appropriate zeal and enthusiasm but not without regard to the importance of upholding and respecting the independence of other pillars of the state and the authority of the Supreme Court, especially under its judicial review jurisdiction, may be usefully extended to a number of areas from which the Supreme Court had historically maintained a distance,” Chief Justice Jillani added. The agenda of the conference includes role of judiciary in protecting human rights, access to justice in the context of constitutional requirements, role of judiciary in promotion of culture of tolerance and the judicial review of administrative actions.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk