Islamabad: Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif has called for the Parliament to discuss the issues of judicial holidays and pensions.
Khawaja Muhammad Asif
The Defense Minister released a statement highlighting various concerns about the judiciary. He noted that there were 3.9% more cases pending in Pakistan this year than last year. The previous Chief Justice would take annual leave from June 15th to September 11th every year, but this year, the current Chief Justice reduced it to one month. He also said that justice is such in our country where every seventeenth household is currently involved with at least one litigation, which should be a significant worry for us all.
Increase in Pending Cases
The rise in pending cases alarmed Khawaja Muhammad Asif, who stated it was alarming and needed immediate attention. This can be seen as a step towards solving the problem, but reducing vacation alone might not solve this issue as the backlog is increasing rapidly. According to him, a lot still needs to be done if we want justice delivered to people’s doorsteps without delay, which requires nothing short of overhauling the entire system since these are just symptoms caused by prevailing inefficiencies.
Need for Judicial Accountability
The Defence Minister further complained about the lack of accountability among judges when he said. It is unacceptable for the highest courts to go on holiday while the state of justice is critical.” He expressed dissatisfaction with them by saying, “They should be paid salaries based on their performance.” He added, “I think there has to be a debate regarding vacations and pensions in parliament. So that the judiciary can be answerable before anyone.”
Call for Fair Compensation and Taxation
Another point highlighted by Khawaja Mohammad Asif was fairness shown towards compensation packages given out. And taxes imposed upon individuals working within the legal profession, especially judges themselves, ought not only to reflect their efficiency but must be pegged around it if delivery were paramount.” In addition, he pointed out that tax matters should be equitable, ensuring that. Those who serve the state are remunerated relatively in line with their performance.
Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif’s demands that the Parliament discuss these issues reflect his belief in transparent institutions. He thinks that if this happens, we can have better-functioning justice systems that work faster and deliver on time. Always benefiting Pakistani citizens as well.
