LAHORE, Jan 5: Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry said on Saturday that all citizens and political parties were bound to be loyal to the state and the Constitution.

Speaking at an annual dinner of the Lahore Bar Association, the CJP said under Article 5 of the Constitution loyalty to state was the basic duty of every citizen.

“Every citizen of Pakistan even during a temporary stay in the country has to be loyal to state and the Constitution,” he added.

He said that under the Constitution no political party could be formed which might cause anarchy in the country.

Justice Chaudhry said the Supreme Court had in its judgments issued directions/guidelines to the Election Commission to hold fair and free elections in the country.

The CJP said the Constitution empowered the Supreme Court to take cognizance of violation of fundamental rights.

About National Judicial Policy, he said, the policy had paid off much dividend in terms of clearing of backlog and pendency of cases.

He said so many judgments rendered by the apex court contained one common denominator that “everybody is equal before the law.”

He said the time to compromise justice on the pretext of state necessity had long gone past.

Justice Chaudhry said the denial of people’s rights had the potential to radicalize the people and also make them vulnerable to calls of unscrupulous elements who might misguide them invoking the name of religion or other extremist ideologies.

Earlier, Lahore High Court Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial and Lahore Bar Association’s President Chaudhry Zulfiqar addressed to the gathering. Judges of the LHC and district judiciary were also present.