On Wednesday, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa recommended that the Supreme Court and Parliament not be set against one another, stating that both institutions should “live and let live” and that the legislative branch is not the people’s adversary.
Neither the Parliament nor the Supreme Court considers each other enemies, the chief justice argued.
“Do not pit the Parliament and Supreme Court against each other,” he remarked, insisting on the idea of “live and let live”.
“Why are negative things attributed to the Parliament? Why can’t it be said that one institution legislated for the betterment of another?” CJP Isa questioned.
He maintained that cases in the long run will be affected if the full court writes everything about the future in the judgment.
“Let go of the future and look at what’s in front of you.”
The Chief Justice of Pakistan made these comments at the hearing on petitions against the SC (Practice and Procedure) Act 2023, a bill aimed at controlling the chief justice’s discretionary powers. The SC is a full bench of 15 judges.
All major parties, with the exception of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), have united in support of the act, which is currently being heard by the SC’s full court.
The Pakistan Bar Association has expressed support for the act, but the Supreme Court Bar Association is against it.
