LAHORE: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Gulzar Ahmad on Saturday remarked that lawyers should stay away from acts of aggression and misconduct with judges.

He said there was no difference between lawyers and judges and that they were both part and parcel of the justice system. CJP Ahmad was addressing a gathering of lawyers held in the office of the Punjab Bar Council (PbBC).

He said times have changed and the eyes of several institutions and platforms, including social media, were on the actions of lawyers. The foremost priority of the lawyers and judges should be dispensation of justice to the litigants, he added.

The chief justice said the concept of generations-long litigation needed to end now and cases be disposed of speedily. He pointed out that many issues relating to judges had been resolved with the consultation of lawyers.

CJP Ahmad said he was also an aggressive lawyer in his early days of practice. He recalled his father once scolding him over an inappropriate attitude in a court during a hearing, saying he later apologised to the judge.

The chief justice said he was happy that the culture of strikes had been discouraged in Punjab. The vacancies of judges in the Lahore High Court would be filled soon, he said, urging young lawyers to work hard and bring new laws before the courts for interpretation.

LHC Chief Justice Muhammad Qasim Khan, Pakistan Bar Council Vice Chairman Abid Saqi and other bar leaders also spoke on the occasion.

Later, CJP Ahmad inaugurated a project of extension of the PbBC building.

Published in Dawn, December 20th, 2020