Correct lists key to fair election: CJP

Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry on Saturday termed correct voters' lists key to free, fair and independent elections and said that these were linked with national development. He was addressing members of Karachi Bar Association at Supreme Court Registry here.
Expressing disappointment over the government's inaction regarding the implementation of the judiciary's decisions to stem unrest in the city, the Chief Justice felt holding polls across the country, including cantonment areas, was a constitutional requirement. He said that lawyers had greater unity, adding that the judiciary had legal fraternity's support against corruption. He observed although the government had increased the number of officials in law-enforcement agencies, it had done nothing to induct more district judges.
He said the situation in the Sindh metropolis would have improved if the government had implemented the judiciary's verdicts. He, however, made it clear that none of the three pillars of the state, including judiciary, could overstep constitutional boundaries. He said that only an independent judiciary could help foster democracy in the country, adding that all state institutions would have to perform within their domains. Every institution needed to respect the constitutional norms, he said.
The Chief Justice said the Constitution empowered the judiciary to review judicial cases to bar individuals and institutions from taking illegal actions. He said the judiciary was empowered by the Constitution to render any illegal action of parliament and state institutions null and void. After its restoration in 2009, he said, the judiciary had pledged to provide quick justice, besides promising to undertake social reforms, steering the nation on the path of the law.
He said judiciary had played a key role in strengthening institutions by ensuring the rule of law. He said that the judiciary's role was beyond resolving disputes. He said the judiciary's role was also the protection of Constitution. "Pakistan's judicial system advocates democracy, which enjoys support of the legal fraternity, public and media," Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry said. Reiterating the call for improving peace in Karachi, the chief justice urged the society to jointly make efforts for improving the law and order situation in the city.