Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar Saturday emphasized that it is the responsibility of the judiciary to protect fundamental rights of the citizens.
“How far I succeeded in fulfilling the promises I made as chief justice, I leave it to the nation to judge,” the top judge said at the convocation ceremony of Services Institute of Medical Sciences (SIMS).”I made all-out efforts to resolve public issues. My intention was based on honesty,” he said. “This is a test whose results will come after my retirement,” he added.
The chief justice said it is not the duty of the judiciary to run hospitals, nor was it his job to visit those. “However, it is our responsibility to intervene wherever mistakes are committed. It’s our duty to protect fundamental rights of the people,” he said.
Defending the apex court’s judicial activism, the chief justice explained that the judiciary is the guardian of the fundamental rights of the people of Pakistan by the law and thus duty-bound to ensure that the rights of the people are protected. He also discussed the areas the top court paid special attention to during his time in the office, which is set to conclude in January 2019.
Referring to his suo motu notices regarding sky-high fees charged by private medical colleges and lack of facilities at several hospitals, the chief justice said that he was trying to end the exploitation of people. He said it was his ‘judicial duty’ to lay down a criterion for medical colleges to ensure that they don’t exploit students and parents. “Did I exceed my jurisdiction by laying down criteria [which ensures] that tertiary hospitals have enough number of doctors, staff and drugs, in order to discharge the obligation of the guardianship [imposed upon the judiciary]?” he asked.
The chief justice narrated his observations during his visits to hospitals across all four provinces and regretted that medical facilities in the country were not satisfactory. He also talked about female doctors who abandon practice after getting their degrees. “If you sit at home and become housewives [after receiving medical education], you violate the oath that you swore today, which is to help the miserable.”
He said that the constitution had ended the quota system where women were allotted lesser seats than men, so that admissions are given on the basis of merit. It is detrimental to the society, he said, when female doctors abandon their profession. He urged female students to convince their families to facilitate them so they can serve as doctors and repay the resources provided to them by the State.
Recalling incidents from his childhood, the chief justice said, “When I was eight years old, I used to take my mother to the doctor in a horse carriage and we used to spend hours at the clinic. My mother taught my brother and me to serve humanity and prayed to God to protect us from all difficulties.” “Those who suffer greatly understand the pain of others,” he said. “I began my mission with my mother’s teachings in mind,” he continued. “My love for the country is not one-sided by two-sided,” he added.
The chief justice called for greater focus on education and stated that the secret of the development of any country lies in education. He lamented that every newborn in the country is in debt, while every citizen is under aRs126,000 debt. “Our resources are fast depleting while the country’s population is increasing,” he said.
Published in Daily Times, December 30th 2018.
