Arbab and the SC
By Col. Riaz Jafri (Retd)
Rawalpindi, Pakistan

The honourable Supreme Court, in all its earnestness to eradicate the ills of the governance, is taking suo moto notices of many an act of commission and omission by the government. The issue of Karachi traffic jam was one such instance. Whereas the federal government had been acquiescing to such notices, responding to them in a positive manner and yielding to SC verdicts on them most willingly, the arrogant feudal of Thar chose to be somewhat different and retorted that he was the CM of the Province and not a traffic Sergeant to control the traffic.
The Supreme Court seems to have a lot on its plate and is seen going about cleaning it in what looks to be a hurried manner. We as a nation - both the rulers and the ruled - are not used to it and I could see it coming sooner or later. SC is, therefore, advised – if I may be allowed to advise at all – to go about it a little slowly. It is like taming the shrew – one at a time – till we become accustomed to it. The quick steps, one after the other, could be misconstrued by the naïve and even played upon by the interested parties as a measure of reprisal rather than the SC’s good intentions of enforcing the rule of law, more so in the absence of any such su omoto notice taken against the lower judiciary or the legal fraternity at whose hands the common man suffers the most.
I am sure the SC knows that it stands on a pedestal much higher to give an impression to the masses or the government of its feeling obligated in any manner to the legal fraternity or the politicians who should also expect no undue favours from it. Justice must prevail in all cases and in the best interest of Pakistan.

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