LAHORE:
Federal Constitutional Court Chief Justice Aminuddin Khan on Saturday vowed to protect the constitutional rights of all Pakistanis without discrimination and said the judiciary remained committed to upholding equality and justice for all citizens.
Addressing the AR Cornelius Justice Conference organized by the Minority Rights Forum in Lahore, the Chief Justice described former Chief Justice Alvin Robert Cornelius as one of the best judges of Pakistan, who served the country impartially throughout his career.
Justice Aminuddin Khan said that protection of minority rights was not only a constitutional obligation but also a moral responsibility. He assured participants that as Chief Justice he would ensure equal protection of constitutional rights for all citizens.
Addressing the conference, Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said the government, executive and judiciary were required to function within the confines of the Constitution.
He said around 6.6 million minorities live in Pakistan and announced that the Minorities Commission would start functioning before the next 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 that every citizen has the right to live in accordance with his or her religious beliefs.
Justice Ali Baqar Najafi said religious freedom means respecting one’s own faith without interfering in the faith of others, adding that the constitutional protection of religious freedom reflects the vision of Muhammad Ali Jinnah. He said safeguarding religious freedom was not just 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 speaking to the media after attending the conference, Justice Minister Tarar said there was currently no sign of a 28th constitutional amendment, and emphasized that any progress towards constitutional changes would only take place after consultation with coalition partners and other stakeholders.
He added that the government was operating under a coalition configuration where even ordinary legislation required consultation, making it impossible to make constitutional amendments without consensus.
The Justice Minister further said that the consultation process would move forward when the coalition parties give a signal, adding that all interested parties would participate because certain issues require a national consensus.
Referring to the 2009 constitutional reforms, he said that consensus at that time was achieved through national dialogue and that 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.
