Judiciary to remain independent in Pakistan: Kurd

The successful lawyers movement for the restoration of Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry has paved the way for permanent establishment of independent judiciary. This was stated by the visiting President of Supreme Court Bar Association Ali Ahmad Kurd while speaking to the members of ethnic media here last evening. As one of the key lawyer who spearheaded the campaign after the Chief Justice was deposed by the former President General (retd) Pervez Musharraf, Kurd also attributed the restoration of democracy to the struggle by the legal fraternity. Confining himself to the questions on legal matters only, the Quetta-born flamboyant lawyer said there was a need to cleanse the lower tier of judiciary of its current malaise in order to dispense quick and cheap justice to the common man. He said he has himself apprised the Chief Justice of these issues and subsequently Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry visited Karachi and Adiala Jails to gain first hand information. However, Kurd who is visiting UK on the invitation of England and Wales Bar Society, added sustained efforts were needed to achieve the desired objectives as this issue could not be resolved overnight. Responding to a question on recent incidents in Lahore and Faisalabad when lawyers took up law into their own hands and resorted to violence against Police and media persons, he said such lawyers were those who did not take part in the campaign for the Chief Justice. Nevertheless, Kurd said SCBA has taken all the necessary action to ensure that such incidents were not repeated in the future as these only defame the legal community. Responding to a question, he said SCBA will remain a pressure group and will not hesitate to point out any undue Government interference that infringe the independence of judiciary. At the same time, he said the relations between the Bar ,the Government and other political parties remain cordial.