ISLAMABAD, Feb 1: Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar of the Supreme Court has said that the superior judiciary is focusing on enhancing its capacity to act as a neutral, impartial and fair arbiter of disputes to restore the confidence of the public in the system of administration of justice.

Talking to a delegation of people participating in a course at the National Defence University (NDU), he said he had taken over as the Chief Justice of Pakistan in extraordinary circumstances and there were challenges of great magnitude.

“We have worked very hard and succeeded in rehabilitating the system. All the courts are fully functional and performing their functions under the Constitution and the law for providing relief to the litigant public.”

He said the process of strengthening the system was under way and he hoped to make visible progress in a short span of time.

He said all executive and judicial authorities throughout the country acted in support of the Supreme Court.

He said separation of executive and judiciary, as mandated by the Constitution, had been formally achieved.

Recently the court had passed through a critical period, he said. By an order dated Nov 23, 2007, the Supreme Court had validated the action of the chief of the army staff in line with the law laid down by the court in the 1999 case of action of the armed forces as well as a similar case of 1977, he said.

The delegation led by NDU Commandant Air Vice-Marshal Tahir Rafiq Butt comprised senior officers of the army, navy, air force and civil services and some officers from other countries.