ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhary said on Thursday Supreme Court is the final arbiter and protector of the constitutional norms.
Addressing the visiting newly appointed under training police officers, he said the Court has the jurisdiction to decide matters in its original, appellate, review and advisory jurisdictions.
"The Constitution manifestly provides that all the executive and legislative authorities shall act in aid of the Supreme Court.
"The Constitution envisaged the separation of trichotomy of powers wherein the State is composed of legislative, judicial and executive organs.
"The legislature is to make law the judiciary interprets and applies the law and the executives is to enforce the law," he said.
"The police is part of the executive organ and plays vital role in maintenance of peace in society and criminal justice system.
"The law assigns it important functions to prevent and detect the crime, apprehend the offenders and maintain the public order.
"An important function of the executive organ of the State pertains to provision of safe and conducive environment where rule of law holds sway and citizens can live their lives in a predictable and peaceful environment. To achieve this objective, the institution of police plays a key role.
"Islam too has emphasized upon the need to have a society based an equal application of rules and laws. “A society can survive infidelity but cannot endure with tyranny,” he said while quoting Hazrat Ali (R.A.).
It is very important to mention that in Islam justice denotes placing things in their rightful place.It also means giving others equal treatment.
"The duty of doing justice is entrusted to everybody in the society. He or she has to do justice in his/her family as well as outside the family life. Similarly, the Court has to do justice when a matter comes before it.
“We being the persons entrusted with the administration of justice are duty bound to do justice to the best of our abilities. Justice according to others might be a worldly duty but according to Islam is a sacred obligation,” he observed.
All the stakeholders, who perform their functions and abilities for the sake of administration of justice have some responsibilities which they have to discharge honestly, he said.
The CJ said: “Administration of justice is not only the duty of courts, indeed all the stakeholders are required to play role in dispensing justice. The role of Police is the most apparent in criminal justice system because they are the first to be approached by the victim or the aggrieved person.”
He said in order to live up to the hopes and expectations of people, meet the requirements of democratic dispensation and constitutional governance, it was felt expedient to redefine the police role, its duties and responsibilities.