Business Recorder op-ed writer Wajid Jawad has echoed the sentiments of millions of Pakistanis by stating that "It was a sigh of great relief for people of Pakistan to see the decision of a 3-member bench of Supreme Court headed by the Chief Justice on 12thFebruary 2018. The court rejected a petition filed by Sheikh Rashid Ahmed. The Sheikh had sought disqualification of Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi for alleged corruption in the award of an LNG import contract.
Rejecting the appeal, the Chief Justice said the court did not want to repeat the history of cases of Reko Diq, Karkay as well as Pakistan Steel Mills, adding that the petitioner should know what those decisions cost Pakistan in the eyes of the world."
There are no two opinions about the fact that the present apex is vastly different from the one led by the then Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry. In his essay titled 'The Judiciary's role in Economic Prosperity', Randall T. Shepard, for example, has argued: "Our courts contribute significantly to our economic growth, especially when compared to legal systems worldwide. Beyond the judiciary's contribution to economic and political stability, we must focus on what courts can do to foster job creation. The answer is that courts must do what they do better, especially in hard economic times. Courts must maintain their independence and impartiality. They must lay down the clearest rules possible and then follow them in a predictable way so that businesses can plan their affairs. Courts must act quickly and diligently to resolve disputes. After all, courts do in fact change economic behaviour, and thus, courts must be sure to do their part to work with the other two branches - within the limits of the judicial role - to help build a more prosperous society."
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