Tuesday August 22, 2017
Kabul (BNA) President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Mohammad Ashraf Ghani spoke at the swearing-in ceremony organized for the 30th round of the judicial graduates who completed their practical judicial courses, his office said in a statement.
The swearing-in ceremony was attended by second Vice-President Mohammad Sarwar Danish, chief justice and head of the Supreme Court Said Halim Yousuf, cabinet members, members of the High Council of Rule of Law and members of the Supreme Court, according to the statement.
Head of the Supreme Court Said Yousuf Halim thanked the president for his special attention to the judicial entities. He said, “It is a pleasure that we are holding the swearing-in ceremony for the 30th round of the judicial practical course graduates.” Chief Justice Halim said, “With the organizing of this swearing-in ceremony, we are once again re-vowing our pledges to enforce rule of law and ensure justice in the country.” These committed, honest and energetic judges, 57 of them female, will fulfill their sacred and religious duties in the judicial realm.”
Head of the Supreme Court said, “The legal practical course, launched in 1347 with a purpose of providing legal practical experiences and learning under the roof of the judiciary, has so far produced 2487 judges including 416 female judges, who have been serving the people as professional practitioners.” He added that necessary education has been imparted to graduates of law, political science, Islamic Sharia and other religious schools in the fields of judiciary, religious studies and law and once these graduates are equipped with the necessary practical experiences and learning, they are recruited in the courts, the statement added.
He said that the High Council of the Supreme Court has been focused on providing constructive training to the judges to encourage transparency in their performance and to fight corruption. The Supreme Court leadership is fully supported by the President, hence allowing no influential people to interfere in the judicial procedures and decision making. The President said, “The Afghan people recognize you as the symbols of justice, therefore they are expecting fair decisions from you. It is really important that you should protect the rights of these people, the rights guaranteed by Islam and the Afghan laws.” He added, “There are still some countries without even one female judge, therefore on behalf of the Afghan nation and the First Lady I express my gratitude to your parents for raising and producing cadres like you to serve this community.”
President Ghani said, “I appreciate the hard work and efforts made by the Chief Justice and members of the Supreme Court for their progress and achievements, hereby approving the awarding of first grade appreciation certificates to them, the appreciation certificates that I have so far not conferred on any government organization.”
He further stated, “The distinction between a stable and unstable government depends on rule of law and the enforcement of law is the root of rule of law. In the absence of law, economic growth and investment are impossible.” Rule of law paves the way for fulfillment of duties and protection of rights.” The President said, “The rich and the poor, Muslim and non-Muslim, woman and man: all are equal before the judge, they have no superiority over one another. If you treat a minister in a manner showing superiority over the poor, you have committed injustice, but if you treat the minister and the poor equally, then you have ensured the true justice.”
He further said, “Pashto and Dari are the national languages in Afghanistan, in addition to these two languages, another third language becomes national in the area where it is spoken. You are bound to respect all these languages in the courts. A person who has been subjected to cruelty and injustice should not need any interpreter, but this should not lead to injustice in the courts.” The President said, “You are not protecting the rights of the current generation only, but you are also obliged to ensure and protect the rights of the coming generations. When the land is encroached on, deforestation takes place, pasture turns into agricultural land, water is not harnessed properly, we, in reality are encroaching on the rights of the coming generations.”
The President said, “Differentiating between justice and injustice is your responsibility. If injustice is treated as justice because of coercion, money or some other means, then justice is flouted. I want you to deal with the cases as they are (justice or injustice). Don’t allow the encroachers of land and the powerful individuals to pressure you.” President Ghani said, “Your peace and stability depend on your decisions. When individuals feel protected and rely on the law, fighting groups disappear. Enforcing peace and stability in the country is directly tied to the activities and functioning of the legal and judicial entities.” The President stressed, “We want the rule of law and those people who harbor personal prejudice against the law, don’t want rule of law.”
