ISLAMABAD: Supreme Court Justice Athar Minallah said Thursday that referring to Pakistan’s governance as a “hybrid system” was essentially an admission of dictatorship.
Speaking at the Karachi Bar Association, he argued that acknowledging such a system meant accepting there was no constitutional governance. He blamed elite capture and a weak rule of law for undermining democracy.
Minallah said Pakistan’s judiciary had a history “not to be proud of” and admitted that his own generation had contributed to the country’s problems. He stressed that judges were bound by oath to protect the Constitution without fear or favour and would otherwise be violating their duty.
He also warned against distorted history and suppression of truth, saying societies that eliminate truth are ultimately destroyed. Citing history, he pointed to the dissolution of the constituent assembly as laying the groundwork for the 1971 split.
The judge emphasized that the Constitution reflects the people’s will, and that fair, transparent elections without political engineering were the only way forward.
Later, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif responded by recalling Minallah’s own past role as a provincial minister during General Musharraf’s rule and urged self-reflection.
