ISLAMABAD, Nov 29: Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry on Tuesday said appointments on merit strengthen judicial independence and the capacity of courts to dispense justice expeditiously and fairly.

The chief justice was speaking at a video conference during an international moot on judicial reforms in Manila (Philippines), says a statement issued here.

In Manila, the panelists were Chief Justice Iftikhar, Justice Hilario Davide, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Philippines; Paulus Effendi Lotulung, Deputy Chief Justice Supreme Court of Indonesia; and Justice William Ian Corneil Binnie of the Supreme Court of Canada. While in Washington, the panelists included three justices of the US Supreme Court — Justice Sandra Day O’ Connor, Justice Anthony M. Kennedy and Justice Stephen G. Breyer.

The President of the World Bank, Paul Wolfowitz, also participated in the video conference from Washington. The dialogue was on the theme of strengthening the capacity of judiciary through induction of competent, qualified and independent judges with an appropriate salary package to ensure judicial independence and the ability of courts to dispense justice speedily.

There was a consensus amongst the panelists that qualified and experienced judges of high character and integrity should be appointed in the superior courts to strengthen their capacity to decide cases freely and impartially. The process and procedure for induction should be transparent and participatory to make the selection process credible. Chief Justice Iftikhar also held a meeting with Raul Gonzles, Minister for Justice of the Philippines, and exchanged views and ideas about better cooperation between the judiciaries of the two countries.

During the meeting, the CJP explained to him the structure of judiciary in Pakistan and the challenges which confronted the courts to clear the backlog.

The minister informed the chief justice of the steps being taken by the government of the Philippines in the area of legal and judicial reforms.