A THOUGHT on Justice Jawad S.

Khawaja`s elevation as Chief Justice of Pakistan. On Aug 22, he became the Chief Justice for 23 days, a painful thought haunts me. I had made a one-page handwritten petition to the Supreme Court complaining that a fundamental right guaranteed to allcitizens ofPakistanunder the constitution, irrespective of their faith, was denied to me.

He admitted it instantly and held out an assurance that it would be decided in the next hearing. Af ter 20 hearings at Karachi, including at least three presided over by Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, the petition was transferred to the principal seat of the court on the advice of the CJ at Islamabad. After three journeys by air to the principal seat of the court at my own expense, the petition remained unheard, to ensure the presence of attorney-general.

In the 23rd and last hearing, Justice Khawaja and younger brother of my colleague in the Civil Service of Pakistan Justice Tasadug Hussain Jilani presided. It once again remained unheard.

I withdrew my petition in utter frustration as the attorney general, who was arguing in a case walked out of the court as I walked in. The judge sent an orderly to call him back but in the intervening few minutes he had vanished, as they say, into thin air.

The court again assured me it would decide it in the next hearing, the twentythird. Exhausted by a long wait and an expense huge for a government pensioner, I withdrew my petition, carrying an impression that where an adverse public reaction was expected even the highest courtofthelandbalked.

KunwarIdris Karachi