ISLAMABAD:
Islamabad High Court (IHC) senior puisne judge Mohsin Akhtar Kayani has said whatever is happening to the common man is also happening to the judges in the country.
During the hearing of a case related to the Capital Development Authority (CDA), Justice Kayani on Thursday painted a bleak picture of the state of different institutions including judiciary.
According to Justice Kayani, no institution was doing its job properly.
“Tell me of a single institution in Pakistan that has been able to handle its responsibilities. Name one institution that is doing the job it was meant to do,” Justice Kayani said.
The judge observed that, under the law, all powers of the CDA were to be transferred to the Metropolitan Corporation. He said that the functions currently being performed by the CDA Board should rightfully belong to the local government, which also holds authority over every rupee spent.
“The Constitution says that elected representatives of the people will exercise authority,” he noted, adding that while the high court had issued four rulings and the Supreme Court one, the government had still not allowed local government elections in Islamabad.
Justice Kayani remarked that the state of the subordinate courts was dire. “Our very spirit has been lost. Does anyone realize how 250 million people are living?” he asked.
He further stated that serious issues of governance exist, as functions meant to be carried out by elected representatives are instead being performed by the courts.
“If the law suits someone, they insist that the system must continue; if it doesn’t suit them, the law is set aside. For five years now, LG elections have not been allowed because they did not suit certain quarters,” he said.
Calling the situation “deeply unfortunate,” Justice Kayani said people could only pray for improvement in the situation. “Everyone must do their job. Mistakes happen, but there should be no bad faith,” he added.
