THATTA, Feb 9: Chief Justice Mushir Alam of the Sindh High Court has observed that posting of people recommended by influential people in violation of merit is the root cause of most of the problems being faced by the masses.
Speaking to lawyers at the Thatta District Bar Association office here on Saturday, CJ Alam said the judiciary was doing its utmost to uphold merit in all appointments in this institution. At present, he said, the judiciary accepted no pressure and was adhering to merit very strictly.
“We have appointed 23 civil judges and judicial magistrates exclusively on a merit basis and we will continue to do so in future in order to ensure people’s trust in the judiciary,” he said.
CJ Alam told the audience that lawyers from 19 out of 27 districts of Sindh had appeared in the interviews held recently for appointment of judges. He said a number of candidates came from highly influential families and some were related closely to the officials holding key government positions. The chief justice said recommendations did come from the high-ups and influential figures but appointments were made strictly on merit.
“If the government, too, adhered to merit, it will definitely be able to ensure good governance in the country,” he said.
Expressing his disappointment over Sindh’s lagging behind in development and progress, CJ Alam said there was no shortage of funds, rather the main reason behind the poor state of the province was inefficient officials running the affairs of the relevant departments.
“I recently visited Punjab and observed remarkable development in all sectors,” he said, and asked why Sindh could not be developed at the same pace.
He also recalled his visit to the under construction Thatta district jail at Makli, and said the project was supposed to be completed in 2007 but it was incomplete even after five years.
“When a project suffers that much delay, the project cost climbs up multiple times,” he said, adding that delay in most cases was caused by inefficiency of the people at the helm of affairs.
CJ Alam also touched upon the issue of growing backwardness of Sindh and its people, and said that violation of the constitution and law by officials was the main reason while deteriorating law and order, which kept investors away from the province, was the other major factor.
Regarding the judiciary’s efforts towards producing law experts, CJ Alam said that the Sindh High Court had procured law books worth Rs20 million which would be provided to various bar associations of the province.
He said Thatta had produced a number of renowned advocates including the late Natho Khan Khawaja, who hoisted the first national flag atop the Sindh High Court building after partition.
Notifications pertaining to appointment of 44 judges had already been issued while 60 more vacancies would be filled in the due course of time, he said.Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, chairman of the SHC development committee, Thatta District Bar Association president Mir Muhammad Jamali and general secretary Abdul Hafeez Anwar Uqaili also spoke.
District and Sessions Judge Shehar Banoo Kareem, judges of the high court and the lower judiciary and members of the Thatta District Bar Association were among those who attended the programme.