—File Photo

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Asif Saeed Khosa on Wednesday slammed Prime Minister Imran Khan's remarks on the decisions taken by judges and said that decision he is referring to was actually approved by the PM himself. 

Addressing the inaugural ceremony of launching mobile app, research center and call center at Supreme Court CJP said that judiciary does not grants any relief to the one who is powerful  and that the matter for which judges are jeered was actually approved by PM Imran himself.

He said that all the regulations related to the matter were set by PM himself.

He said that we are given examples of the past and that the judiciary's approach is changed after 2009.

He said those criticising judiciary must use words cautiously.

CJP said don’t taunt judiciary with allegations of siding with the powerful. No person but only law is powerful for us, he added.

Speaking about the credibility and non-partisan attitude of the court, the Chief Justice said that the court has disqualified two prime minister’s in the past, whilst they were in power and now they are determined to give a verdict on a pending case against a former dictator Pervez Musharraf.

“It is the judiciary that disqualified one of the country’s prime minister and sent another to jail. A case against a former army chief is going to be decided soon,” the CJP remarked.

The CJP said that no one can question the credibility of the institution and allegations of “siding with the powerful” are false and unfounded. “Only the law of the land is supreme in the eyes of judiciary,” said the CJP.

Khosa said the court and judiciary were only subservient to the law and such brave moves are a testament to that.

The CJP said that the PM should not criticise the judges and the judiciary and should stop giving “controversial statements regarding the institution. “The case, the prime minister referred to, I do not want to talk upon that, the prime minister himself is the one who allowed the accused to travel abroad, not the courts,” said Khosa.

The CJP was of the view that the Lahore High Court, in its November 16 decision in former PM Nawaz Sharif’s ECL case, only set the modalities and it was the premier who allowed the PML-N leader to go abroad.

Moreover, CJP Khosa said Prime Minister Khan had announced to provide all resources to the judiciary but the institution marked numerous achievements without resources.

“We have achieved exemplary performances within limited resources and for that, the judiciary should be commended rather than be chastised,” he said.

He went on to say that we constituted model courts but didn’t brag about it.

Justice Khosa further said that the judiciary worked effortlessly to provide justice to the people with less resources. He said that 3,100 judges worked hard and decided 3.6 million cases in a year. Judiciary decided all the cases on merit and did not differentiate between the rich and poor.

Justice Asif Saeed Khosa has said that a “silent revolution” has reformed judiciary and today the state organ is working freely.—NNI