LONDON: Supreme Court judge Justice Kazi Faiz Isa has said that recent global events have dampened “the enthusiasm of proponents of autocracy”.
“We are reminded that it is very important to maintain checks and balances and uphold the human rights of all; if we do not do so our political system may collapse even after an attack. ,
“We must acknowledge great women like Asma Jahangir. She was a great troubleshooter, the judges feared her – and I say in admiration,” Justice Isa told the enthusiastic crowd of students, lawyers, analysts and journalists.
“A bright future can be secured only when the system of oppression is put to an end. When sexual violence, misogyny and abuse are punished according to the law. Asma Jahangir set an example when she showed that atrocities are not intolerable,” he said, drawing attention to Pakistan’s poor record on gender equality.
“The judiciary, like our electoral system, is an instrument to secure the fundamental rights of all. The only future I would like to imagine is an end to oppression and autocracy. ,
The event was jointly organized by the SOAS Pakistan Society and Bloomsbury Pakistan, a research center in London.
Advocate and AGHS board member Sulema Jehangir recalled the journey of Justice Isa to become a judge of the apex court.
Regarding her mother, Ms. Jahangir said that Asma Jahangir ” stood for principles, not personality”.
“When MQM leader Altaf Hussain was blacked out from television channels, he defended him as he felt it was a violation of his right to freedom of expression.
Nowhere does the law of the land say that a fugitive or a person we do not like or vote for does not have the right to express himself. Now we see that even thrice-elected Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif is not allowed to be aired on the media.
Justice Isa said he was visiting SOAS after 14 years – the last time he had done so was when his daughter was pursuing her undergraduate law degree. She became the first barrister of Balochistan.
“After completing the bar, I managed to persuade my wife to marry an unemployed man,” he said, to laughter from the audience.
In the question-answer session, various questions were asked from the audience. Asked whether the judge had faith in Pakistan’s democracy, Justice Isa said: “It is a very loaded question with a lot of assumptions. Do you have a better option? Did corruption decrease under military dictatorship?
“Mere making assumptions and defaming the Constitution is not enough. The people of Pakistan have decided how to govern themselves, we should follow that.
“Let us be governed by what we have chosen, let 20, 30 years pass. We lost half the country – was it because of corrupt politicians? It was because of power-hungry generals.”
To a question about judges being subject to dictatorship, Justice Isa said: “I myself have pointed out instances where the role of the judiciary leaves much to be desired. Judiciary is not a stone pillar or a building.” Yes, individuals make up the judiciary.
“Yes, there are judges who have made an impression that I am proud of and who have done otherwise, it has been a mixed bag, I agree.”
Published in Dawn, March 10, 2022