ISLAMABAD Sept 12: Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry said on Monday that independence of judiciary “ensures constitutional rights of the people” and “makes them more loyal and patriotic”.

“Courts act as cohesive and integrated unit to defend the ideological and geographical frontiers of the country,” he said while speaking at a ceremony held at the Supreme Court to mark the new judicial year 2005-06.

The chief justice assured the people that the Supreme Court would provide clean, efficient and honest machinery to adjudicate upon their rights as guaranteed in the constitution.

“Independence of the judiciary and the rule of law ensure that everyone is equal in the eye of law and is to be treated accordingly,” he said.

So long as courts are functioning independently, the citizens feel satisfied that their rights are protected, he said, adding that such guarantees from courts make citizens more loyal and patriotic.

Rule of law, the CJ observed, also “bears a direct link to foreign investment, which could not be attracted if the country’s domestic conditions were anarchic and chaotic”.

Justice Iftikhar deplored that despite disposing of 2,832 cases during the summer vacation, the opening balance of this judicial year was still 30,027 cases.

“This figure depicts a very alarming situation, which merits our primary attention,” he observed. To overcome this problem in an effective manner, the cases pending for disposal had been categorized subject-wise according to priorities, he added.

“We have also decided to issue a proposed cause list at least three months earlier so that all adjustments could be made well in time. But once the cause list has been finalized there would be no adjournment of cases for any reason whatsoever,” he said. In the given situation, he added, this was the only way to reduce huge backlog of cases.

The CJ conceded that the image of the Supreme Court administration staff was poor in the eyes of the general public and needed to be changed.

Soon after assuming office, Justice Iftikhar said, he had sidelined inefficient managers, who were also known to be corrupt. In their place, new blood had been inducted and asked to make the apex court’s administrative wing exemplary with zero complaint of any kind against any member of the staff from top to bottom.

Attorney General Makhdoom Ali Khan said transitions from martial law to democratic government were always difficult for courts, criticized for going too fast and condemned for being too cautious by the opposition.

Disputes which should be decided by electorates or resolved in parliament, are fiercely litigated in courts and both sides claim a monopoly of truth. Neither is prepared to accept defeat and the losing side always questions the neutrality of the law and impartiality of judges.

Treading carefully to avoid headlong fights with the executive but keeping a check on official authority, the AG said, the courts had preserved their jurisdiction and, quietly but surely, the judicial domain had been extended.

However the greatest challenge for this court which was the backlog of cases has yet to be met, the AG said. He suggested a number of measures to improve efficiency and ensure quicker disposal of cases.

President of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) Qazi Mohammad Jamil said judicial and political crisis could only be tackled “if we learn to limit our activities within the frontiers ordained by the constitution”.

For judiciary, confidence building within its own fort was essential for the sustenance of civil society, he observed.