President Pervez Musharraf on Monday expressed his strong commitment to the independence of judiciary in Pakistan and said the government is resolved to provide an enabling environment for dispensation of speedy justice for all.
"I stand for total independence of the judiciary. I totally reject politicisation of judiciary," he said while addressing the concluding session of the 4-day International Judicial Conference.
"This is my commitment because I see the value of the courts, especially the higher courts, is in their being independence", the President said amid applause.
He assured the august gathering of international judges and legal experts that he would always back up independence of the Judiciary.
The President said that his only consideration had been the merit, wherever he was involved in the official chain for selecting judges for the higher courts.
Musharraf said the speedy dispensation of justice had been a priority item in the governments agenda as, he added, the governance could only improve if people had an easy access to justice which was quick and inexpensive.
"The government is committed to providing an enabling environment for dispensation of speedy justice to all," he added.
The President informed the august gathering about the number of steps the government has taken in the areas of administrative legislative and judicial spheres.
An access to Justice Programme, being supported by the Asian Development Bank (ADD) is currently underway to improve the delivery of justice, he added.
The President said it was now universally recognised that justice was not possible through the formal process of justice alone and arbitration was now regarded as the engine of globalisation.
In arbitration, the parties have the option to choose impartial, neutral and international experts to decide their disputes.
Today, the President said the corporate sector prefers to seek resolution of disputes through arbitrators.
He pointed out that along with arbitration; Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) techniques and Early Dispute Resolution gaining acceptance. Mediation is one such technique, he added.
The President lauded the efforts of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry to set up the first mediation centre in the Sindh High Court. He expressed the hope that the working of formal justice system along with alternative and early dispute resolution methods would help regulate the overflow of the courts.
"We hope that the course of formal justice with such alternative resolution fora will speed up the process and reduce the expense of Justice," he said and added, "unless justice is inexpensive and expeditious; it cannot be justice for all".
President said the government when took over seven years ago, pointed out some problems in the judiciary that needed to be corrected.
These included executive and judicial authority combined in one person at the lowest level, police vested in three authorities - watch and ward, investigation anti-prosecution - and pendency of cases that was hampering speedy delivery of justice.
Also, he added, the administrative facilities of the judiciary, specially at the lower level were in poor state and needed to be improved.
The President said he totally rejects politicising of the judiciary, adding he never ever approached any judiciary for something he would like to do.
He emphasised the need for an even-handed approach and an honest and open effort for resolving the festering political disputes to advance the cause of peace and justice in the world and make it a safer place to live in for both for us and our future generations.
The President said the international disputes should be resolved in a just manner as it would strike at the core of the causes of extremism and terrorism, adding that extremism spawns terrorism so we should strike at the core of injustices around the world in its international perspective.
Musharraf said the deprivation of fundamental rights of freedom and dignity and frustration of being treated unjustly and the reaction to oppression is manifesting itself in different forms around the globe.
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