LAHORE: Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar has summoned owners of several media outlets to appear before the Supreme Court on Monday (today) to explain why they had not implemented his orders to pay salaries to their employees.

The chief justice issued the order during the hearing of a case at the Lahore registry of the Supreme Court on Sunday about non-payment of salaries by different media outlets.

He said action would be taken against those owners who were not paying salaries to their workers.

Justice Nisar observed that media houses would have to make payments to their workers before Eidul Fitr in any case.

Later the chief justice told a number of media persons who were present in a crowded courtroom No 1 for hearing of the salaries case that he had no post-retirement ambitions nor would he accept any office in future.

“I will make a formal announcement on my last day in the court that I do not need any office after retirement. For me no office is higher than that of the Chief Justice of Pakistan. So nobody should risk embarrassment by offering me any office after retirement,” CJP Saqib Nisar said. He added he was not that kind of a judge who tried to become popular.

Enforcement of fundamental rights

During the hearing of multiple public interest cases at the Lahore registry, Justice Nisar denied that the Supreme Court was interfering in the jurisdiction of other institutions. “We are just enforcing fundamental rights. We have powers to do complete justice.”

The Constitution and the law were supreme and the Supreme Court had the right of judicial review, the CJ observed.

Published in Dawn, June 11th, 2018