(Karachi) Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed has said that justice cannot be delivered and fundamental rights of people cannot be protected unless judges are fully independent and under no external pressure.

Speaking at a ceremony held to observe the start of the Judicial Year 2020-21, the CJP observed that judiciary is an independent institution as per the Constitution and no one is allowed to undermine its independence.

He added that the independence of the judiciary shall be fully secured under the Constitution.

The chief justice pointed out that every judge of the superior judiciary is under a solemn oath, inter alia, to discharge their duties honestly, to the best of their ability and faithfully, in accordance with the constitution and the law.

Gulzar mentioned that judges should discharge their duties without fear or favour, affection or ill-will.

The CJP stressed that the judiciary shall continue to strive to uphold the supremacy of the Constitution to foster justice in all circumstances and to ensure rule of law in the country.

He stated that since he took over as the Chief Justice of Pakistan, he found that "the biggest challenge faced by our judicial system is the backlog of cases. In order to reduce the pendency of cases, various decisions were taken. These measures have not only proved beneficial for the smooth functioning of the Court but the litigants are also benefiting from the same."

In order to overcome this problem and to provide expeditious and inexpensive justice to the litigants, he said the cases were heard through the e-Court system.