ISLAMABAD, June 18: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry has said the judiciary is committed to upholding the rule of law in the country.

Speaking at a reception, he said the Supreme Court was celebrating 2006 as its golden jubilee year. “This demands the legal community to reiterate commitment to upholding the rule of law and indiscriminate dispensation of justice, irrespective of cast and creed, social position, religious belief and other such considerations,” he said.

The chief justice of Supreme Court announced that an international judicial conference would be held at Islamabad in August, in connection with the golden jubilee celebrations.

He said the theme of the celebrations was justice for all, which denoted collective resolve and obligation to ensure that every citizen was afforded a free and equal opportunity to get justice, as guaranteed under the Constitution.

Justice Chaudhry said the bench and the bar were inseparable partners in administering justice, and the legal fraternity needed to make all possible efforts to provide speedy justice to the aggrieved. “It is need of the hour to ensure that there are no extraneous considerations that may influence the process of administration of justice,” he stressed.

Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry said the Supreme Court had worked untiringly to provide justice to the litigants and relief to the aggrieved. He said the cases, including those of national importance, were disposed of judiciously and expeditiously, which helped bring down the backlog considerably.

He said it has been decided in principle to appoint four additional judges in the Peshawar High Court.

Referring to the last year’s earthquake, he said it not only took a huge toll in terms of human lives, infrastructure, livelihood and essential services, but it also affected the judicial setup as court buildings in Abbotabad were severely damaged.

He said a plan for construction of subordinate courts in the quake-hit areas was under consideration, which would be funded by the government in collaboration with the World Bank.