THE Lahore High Court has issued a contempt of court notice to the Punjab Inspector-General of Police. Chief Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed observed that the government officers not complying with court orders would be sent behind bars without any proceeding under the contempt law.

Judges complain that the bureaucracy does not comply with court orders and the act is unpardonable. The Punjab IG police should keep in mind that the barrack once housing Raymond Davis has been lying vacant. According to the honourable court, the bureaucracy remains indifferent and does not move a muscle. No one will be allowed to challenge the authority of the court.

In Faisalabad, judges continued their strike for the fourth day in protest against the throwing of a shoe by advocate Chaudhry Muhammad Masood at Judge Asad Ali. Judicial work remained suspended in the civil and sessions courts of all four tehsils of Faisalabad. As a result, litigants had to face great inconvenience at Samundari, Jaranwala, Tandlianwala and Faisalabad courts.

The gravity of the situation can be judged from the fact that the incident involving advocate Chaudhry Masood is the fourth one pertaining to lawyers’ high-handedness in Faisalabad during the past two years. But this time the judges have adopted a tough stance and declared that they will only resume work after registration of a case against the accused. They have also demanded an assurance that such an incident will not happen again and provision of security will be ensured to them.

The judiciary is an important pillar of the state … without which a state cannot survive for long. The rule of law is the basis of every state and supremacy of law is ensured in every religion and country. All other ills continue to exist to some extent in a country, depending on the literacy rate and education of the common man.

But a civilised society without the rule of law and respect for the judiciary is unimaginable.—(May 10)

Selected and translated by Zaheer Mahmood Siddiqui.