http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\01\29\story_29-1-2011_pg7_25

ISLAMABAD: From dominance of fortune tellers on the hill-top houses to recent public begging of Premier Gilani from US to influence IMF for release of some monetary oxygen for his dwindling government and from boycott of Altaf Bhai’s liberal men in the Senate to offer fateh (prayers) for the slain Governor Punjab Salman Taseer to the verdict issued by ad hoc judges condemning the government for continuing the practice of employing retired employees on contract basis all this is enough to make painfully hilarious movies to show the morality of our oligarchs including judicial commanders.

Of all the judges when a retired judge reappointed on a one-year contract and who is manovuering to get another year’s extension by raising the level of tantrum along with another one who is already serving on the superior benches on a two-year contract try to condemn the government for appointing retired officials on lucrative contracts thus negating the right of employment to burgeoning and exasperated youth, what message it conveys to the bewildered masses. One of shame and condemnation because it lacks not only morality but even the basic sense of justice, commented a senior retired judge who was instrumental throughout the epic judicial movement.

Isn’t it interesting that its not only these two judges sitting on the superior benches but even the registrar of the superior court is working on a contract after retirement and not only that the same registrar is holding not one but three important posts which include secretary of judicial commission and secretary of law and justice commission. When favouritism is so ripe within the ranks of the higher judiciary, then how can we expect that nepotism might be left out, revealed an insider? He whispered in a husky voice that you know though PCO judges are being humiliated for bending their knees before a dictator these days but one of the close associate of the same PCO judges, Mr. Chawla has been darted in by the registrar into the federal judicial academy as its DG on a contract. The list does not stop here because our senior black-coat further revealed that instead of giving any chance of promotion to the lower administrative staff, the same registrar has flown an outsider from National Assembly secretariat to work as additional registrar.

If this fiefdom of the judicial commanders is becoming a holy cow for the government than should we expect from the custodians of impartiality to first set their own house in order or should we let them grow to the level where they become untouchables, commented another one privy to these developments. And, he continued in the same breath, just to mind you untouchables they have already become because had it not been so than how come they do not even care to respond to leader-of-opposition-led Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that why superior courts’ representative would not appear before a committee of an elected House to respond to various questions raised by Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) on their utilization of funds.

That also means, he added, that since our new demi-gods of the power corridors have a case of his eligibility pending against the sitting chief minister of Punjab Shahbaz Sharif, they will not follow the good work done by Sharif to eliminate all additional secretary, additional IG and other similar posts to cut down the expenses. Will they ever volunteer to cut down the staff they have pout for monitoring all the national TV channels on a 24/7 basis to know on a minute to minute basis that what is happening on political and other fronts?, he asked all of us surrounding him. Responding without caring for an answer he continued saying that certainly no chance because such monitors have become so necessary that just incase anything is preempted against the ‘sanctity’ of a self-driven fiefdom, they need to know it as we saw just a few months back when they had to rush back to their chairs even in the middle of night.

Despite listening to all this and knowing well that many law abiding lawyers remain skeptic, I am still hopeful that if nothing of the above our judicial priests will follow only one principle at least. The one enunciated by them in their unanimously promulgated judicial policy of 2009 and that is to decide every case within six months. So far I have stopped even counting the months and in some cases (like missing persons) years because now upon hearing some of these cases appearing in the media one wonders that how come I have grown up so much and there is no progress on these cases. You name it and they are all there pending for some kind of verdict and just to get you starting let me give you some hints like Hamesh Khan Case, Harris Steel Mill, Swiss case, and the rest you can count on fingers.

But has anyone ever imagined that what happen to the cause list which you find pasted outside all these court rooms and which often runs into dozens. The fact is that none of them get ever heard and the poor litigants, some of whom travel from as far as Rajanpur in Punjab or from across the length and breadth of the country had to return home with empty hands and fallen hopes. Whenever they are summoned to attend their respective cases they do nothing but to pay for their lawyers to get the simple answer that their case remained left over because whole day of the court was consumed either by 18th amendment, missing persons or contract employees, etc, etc.

May be that might have been the reason, as our bar associates revealed that the recent luxury car imported for the safe-traveling of the Supreme Judge at an estimated cost of about Rs 80 million is only gathering dust because most of his time is spent on these cases or in between the hearings using a fancy blackberry (BB). But folks be aware and don’t be fooled here, still no one is allowed to take their mobile phones inside any court room, that’s an order of our Superior and even lower courts. So no matter what is the behaviour of the courts, whenever any of us go to visit these courts we have to behave because they need concentration and full attention to listen to the facts of the cases and don’t want get distracted by any noise or any one with the exception of those monitoring guys or the BB.

Anyway lets come out of the judicial frontiers and lets see how our liberal friends from Altaf Hussain cadres have turned their backs on an issue which on the one hand is being discussed as a religious versus liberals and on the other as right versus wrong. But please don’t underestimate the experienced orators of Altaf Bhai because they seem to have dozens of excuses rolled up their sleeves. Some of them believe that when the entire federal government and in particular its spokesperson—who was heard complaining against other federal ministers for taking up his role by announcing important decision of cabinet in advance of him—does not want to even speak on the issue why should they bother to eliminate their chances of strategic electoral alliances with the right-wing parties. One finds logic in their argument because from Prime Minister to all the other cabinet members and from party cadres to party leadership no one has even announced to hold official chehlum (40th day religious ceremony) for the slain Governor who gave his life fighting for a cause for which PPP has always stood up. But, as one of our Pakhtoon MP nailed it that with the migration of so many from various religious outfits into the PPP, open minded people of this country should recall to their minds the famous saying of Premier Gilani, “PPP has become a pro-establishment party”.