The meaning of “To Serve”
Mian Shehbaz Sharif
PML(N) President
After this 130th birthday of the Quaid-e-Azam, it is both factual and appropriate to declare that the multitudes which participated in the creation of Pakistan remain the only generation that has thus far rendered fundamental and decisive sacrifices to the nation.From the pain of witnessing their women and children brutally killed, renouncing their ancestral properties, and uprooting their torn and broken families they migrated by the millions to manifest their dreams in a new homeland, a dream that at last our way of life would be based on justice, merit and fair play; whereby we would stand united and share in our prosperity, just as they had shared in their sacrifices to achieve independence for Pakistan.
But 60 years on – whenever I have asked any surviving members of that great generation about this dream, they have wept!
It is not difficult to see why, for we have rapidly regressed from the 1940s to the 1490s. To the period of the Spanish Inquisition, and the dark ages of Europe, where the poor could be exploited without retribution, where the law was arbitrary and subservient to the rich and powerful, where religious intolerance was propagated with the spread of hatred and slaughter, where the innocent were witch hunted, and political rivals and minorities tortured and murdered.
This unfortunately, is also the condition of 21st century Pakistan; due to which, it is only natural that the collective hope which the Quaid-i-Azam instilled in our people, has transformed into a collective loss of hope, apathy and discontent that is by far the most detrimental disadvantage a nation has to confront.
In his first address to Pakistan’s Constituent Assembly, the Quaid stated that: “the first duty of a government is to maintain law and order, so that the life, property, and religious beliefs of its subjects are fully protected by the State.” We have even failed to value this important criterion set by the greatest leader Pakistan has produced.
An Independent Judiciary is what the Quaid envisioned for the nation he created, and I have no doubt that in the freedom of the Judiciary lies the solution to even our most complex problems. Therefore, we must return to the Quaid’s ‘verdict’.
A fearless, free and independent judiciary grounds societies in the rule of law and justice, prevents the tyranny of the majority, protects people from the ‘convictions’ of a militant minority, and most importantly provides a check and balance on government.
Exile provides time to reflect and strategize. This imposed separation from our beloved homeland has given us the opportunity to examine the problems that plague Pakistan and propose optimal solutions to the most pressing issues confronting our people.
Therefore, I candidly proclaim here, that the first act that the PML-N government, under the leadership of Mian Nawaz Sharif, when it returns to power, will be to promulgate, the absolute independence of the judiciary.
Access to expedient, fair and transparent justice, will solve the gruelling problems faced by the common man. Today; the majority of people spend an inordinate amount of time at police stations (thanas) – dens of coercion and corruption – and lower courts (kutchery) where, along with their representatives, they have no recourse but to buy justice through the vicious and endless circle of “sifarish, blackmail and bribery.” This culture must ruthlessly be uprooted and we hereby solemnly pledge to do so.
Just as John Marshall said in his famous speech:
“I have always thought, from my earliest youth till now that the greatest scourge an angry Heaven ever inflicted upon an ungrateful and sinning people was an ignorant, corrupt, or compliant judiciary.” Judicial reforms are not only imperative; they have been deferred and impeded for far too long.
Access to justice is the birthright of every citizen and we resolve to deliver on this promise as one of the foremost policy reforms of our government.
Firstly, through a fiercely transparent and foolproof system of judicial appointments comprising men of the highest standing and character, we will double the number of judges at both the lower and high court levels;
Secondly, we will increase the salary of the entire judiciary by at least five times their current level, to safeguard them against monetary temptations. (The PML-N government did substantially increase the salary of a High Court Judge from approximately Rs 17, 000 a month to over Rs 70,000 a month, – which we admit was not enough)
Thirdly, we will ensure complete independence and meritocracy in the appointment of judges even at the cost of judicial activism.
The above reforms will have immediate beneficial effects on the entire populace: a) a drastic reduction in the pendancy of cases; b) it will make the judiciary a most sought after career, even more appealing than employment at banks and multinationals, thereby attracting outstanding candidates to this most noble of professions; c) it will lead to the effective accountability of police, government servants and rulers across the board; d) it will improve the investment and business environment in Pakistan; e) most importantly it will provide speedy access to justice, without fear or favour to the resource-less common man, who will be provided free legal assistance by the state.
There is no reform more significant than judicial reforms. An incorruptible and undaunted Judiciary will make Pakistan leap out of the middle ages and stand with respect in the comity of nations.
We have bound ourselves to the Quaid’s ‘ruling’, and pledged our lives to liberating Pakistan by liberating its judicial system. Perhaps then, we too can raise our heads and stand among the only generation (to date) that has factually practiced the meaning of the words “To Serve”.
The writer is PML(N) President.
Email: shehbazsharif@btinternet.co
- Posted by valiantpk on 01/01/2007.
- valiantpk's site
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