UMERKOT: Justice Salahuddin Panhwar of Supreme Court has expressed his deep regrets over shortcomings of the country’s judicial system and institutions, and also criticised dishonest judges, lawyers and police officers responsible for the delay and denial of justice to the public.
He was speaking at the oath-taking ceremony of the Umerkot Bar Association here on Friday.
Describing the saying: “Justice delayed is justice denied” as absolutely correct, he declared that a court failing to deliver justice serves no purpose. Mentioning the cases where justice was delayed for decades, he gave a couple of examples: “One woman waited for 71 years for a decision on her inheritance case and another person’s case relating to an accident was decided after 24 years”.
He condemned use of influence by feudals and bureaucrats and observed that some judges were compromising their integrity to appease the powerful.
Justice Panhwar said judges must act with courage, and not fear, and warned them that betraying the oath undermines public trust.
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Highlighting systemic corruption, he referred to the case of journalist Nasrullah Gadani’s murder, and noted that lawyers from three bars, police and even some judges defended the accused.
He criticised misuse of the Dispossession Act, meant to protect the poor, and pointed out that it was now being used to harass them.
He also pointed to the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) where, he recalled, judicial decisions had led to loss of life. He wondered: “Whose judges we are … people’s or the elite’s?”
Justice Panhwar also lamented societal hypocrisy, observing that in Pakistan, people pretended to be virtuous while acting otherwise. He urged judges to engage with communities directly, saying: “We must stop isolating ourselves and see how people live.” Sharing his feelings with the audience, he remarked: “Sometimes I wonder whether we are judges or bandits”.
Touching upon social issues, he debunked claims of “forced conversions” and pointed out that 90pc of girls running away from their homes happened to be from Muslim families, and not minorities. This, however, signals a broader societal failure to protect women, he said.
He also noted a lack of shelters for the girls and women vulnerable to injustice, and said this segment is denied education and inheritance rights, particularly in marginalised communities like the scheduled castes.
While criticising judicial system’s inefficiency, he cited the example of Mirpurkhas courts which ‘disposed of’ 319 out of 320 cases within a week, and remarked that it was a ‘formality’ rather than ‘justice’. How could police deliver, he wondered.
Justice Panhwar expressed the view that upper Sindh’s ‘dacoit culture’ and lower Sindh’s ‘drug epidemic’, particularly in Umerkot district, had paralysed the system.
He revealed that one Sukkur SSP had admitted his helplessness in controlling crime, and said he responded [to his statement] by saying that “If we can’t act, we should resign and go home.”
Justice Panhwar accused the Umerkot police of focusing on extortion, instead of curbing crime. “Crime surged under a former sessions judge,” he deplored.
He said that the Cooperative Housing Society Act was meant for protecting rights of farmers and labourers, not for developing housing schemes. It was designed to empower the working class through loans and by encouraging collective forums, he added.
Justice Panhwar concluded with a warning: “Our rulers tell lies, our institutions tell lies, and people also have stopped speaking the truth. If we don’t change ourselves, then the system will collapse.”
Justice Jan Ali Junejo of Sindh High Court, Tharparkar Sessions Judge Abdul Waheed Sheikh, Umerkot Sessions Judge Abdul Qudoos Memon, Advocate Yousif Laghari, Mir Pervez Talpur, President of the SHC Bar Association (Mirpurkhas) and Sindh Bar Council members Nand Kumar Goklani and Sher Mohammad Wassan were among the prominent figures who attended the ceremony.
Published in Dawn, August 9th, 2025