ISLAMABAD: Additional district and sessions judge Dr Sajida Ahmed has complained to the Chief Justice of Pakistan accuses her male colleagues of ill-treatment saying that she would have committed suicide in front of the Supreme Court if it wasn’t forbidden in Islam.
In an open letter to Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed, Justice Sajida wrote, “If ultimately I have to face disrespect and naked abuse in court while sitting as a lady judge by the so-called lawyers”.
Sajida also wrote that the noble profession has been taken over by ‘black sheep’ who constantly harass the public and attack police and national institutes. She reminded the top judge of the Punjab Institute of Cardiology incident when lawyers attacked the hospital.
Justice Sajida lamented that the fruits of the lawyers’ movement could not be reaped and we have and failed to achieve “the great cause of the rule of law”.
She wrote that if the grievances of district judiciary are not taken seriously, they will be compelled to write petitions to international bodies including the United Nations against the misconduct of lawyers in the district courts.
She asked why the proceedings under 228 PPC and Contempt of Court Act are not initiated against the disruptive lawyers.
She then responded to the question by herself saying, “It is because the judges of the district judiciary know very well that they will not get any suitable remedy from their superiors but instead will be scolded with comments such as ‘why do you not have the ability to handle such matters tactfully?’ or ‘why can’t you manage your own court?”.
Many young judges in Punjab have passed away recently due to the pressure faced by them, she claimed.
The Judge wrote in the letter, “If we are supposed to be snubbed, abused, mentally and physically tortured by the lawyers during our office hours and you cannot protect our honour and save the dignity of our family members, then we are ready to surrender the extra perks given to us.”
“I feel desperate and frustrated and compelled to either burn all my educational degrees one by one in front of the honorable Lahore High Court or in front of the august Supreme Court of Pakistan as a protest so that no girl among a population of 23 Crore should dare to come and serve (this great nation with zeal and Iman),” she added.
The female judge further wrote, “I would have got married like normal Pakistani girls under 20s and not wasted the precious time and money of my parents in obtaining the higher education in Islamabad for 15 years”.
It would have been far better for the undersigned to rear the castles, to make the dung cakes, to help out my agriculturist family and spend a life free of worries and agonies away from the lime-light of Islamabad….,” she added.
