LAHORE:
Federal Constitutional Court Chief Justice Aminuddin Khan on Saturday pledged to protect the constitutional rights of all Pakistanis without discrimination, saying the judiciary remained committed to upholding equality and justice for all citizens.
Addressing the Justice AR Cornelius conference organized by the Minority Rights Forum in Lahore, the Chief Justice described former Chief Justice Alvin Robert Cornelius as one of Pakistan’s greatest judges who served the country impartially throughout his career.
Justice Aminuddin Khan said the protection of minority rights was not only a constitutional obligation but also a moral responsibility. He assured the participants that as Chief Justice he would ensure equal protection of constitutional rights for all citizens.
At the conference, Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said the government, the executive and the judiciary were all bound to function within the bounds of the constitution.
He said that around 6.6 million minorities were living in Pakistan and announced that the Minority Commission would start functioning before the upcoming budget.
FCC Judge Ali Baqar Najafi said Pakistan’s constitution guarantees religious freedom and protection of minority rights. Referring to Article 20 of the constitution, he said every citizen has the right to live according to their religious beliefs.
Justice Ali Baqar Najafi said that freedom of religion means respecting one’s own faith without interfering with the faith of others, adding that the constitutional protection of religious freedom reflects the views of Muhammad Ali Jinnah. He said that securing religious freedom is not only about protecting minorities, but also about protecting the Constitution itself.
At the end of the conference, shields were distributed among the participants and a cake was cut in memory of Judge Cornelius.
Later, while addressing the media after attending the conference, Law Minister Tarar said there was currently no sign of a 28th constitutional amendment, stressing that any move towards constitutional amendments would proceed only after consultation with coalition partners and other stakeholders.
He added that the government operated under a coalition where even ordinary legislation required consultation, making constitutional changes impossible without consensus.
The law minister further said that the consultation process would move forward once the coalition parties gave a signal, adding that all stakeholders would be taken on board because certain matters require national consensus.
Referring to the 2009 constitutional reforms, he said consensus at the time was achieved through national dialogue and any future process would follow the same path. He clarified that no final draft of any constitutional amendment currently existed and said the contours of any proposed amendment could not be determined until a formal draft was prepared.
