Islamabad, Apr 10 (PTI) Justice Qazi Faez Isa, senior puisne judge of the Supreme Court, said on Monday that Pakistan's apex court stands with the Constitution of the country.

He made the remarks while addressing a national constitutional convention at the National Assembly hall to mark the golden jubilee of the 1973 Constitution, which provides a federal parliamentary democratic dispensation for Pakistan.

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"This book is our identity, Pakistan's identity. The elected representatives of the time unanimously voted on it, there was no negative vote. There were four abstentions I think," he said, referring to the Constitution.

Justice Isa, the lone senior judge invited to address the convention, is on the list to become the next chief justice of the country in September when the incumbent will retire.

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He said that he came not for making a political speech but to say "on behalf of myself and my institution that we stand with this book (the Constitution)."

Justice Isa, who hit headlines by opposing the policies of Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, opted to make non-political speech, highlighting his commitment for the Constitution.

"Our job is to make decisions swiftly according to the law and the Constitution. Your job is to make laws which are beneficial for the people. And the job of the executive is to implement the laws and the policies made by the government of the time,” he said.

His father Qazi Isa was a companion of Pakistan's founder M A Jinnah.

He also commended Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for deciding that April 10 would be celebrated as National Constitution Day.

Prime Minister Shehbaz also addressed the convention, salting the framers of the Constitution which he said was the result of “consultation instead of confrontation”.

The prime minister also presented a resolution pledging to “preserve, protect and defend” the Constitution and reaffirming its “commitment to uphold the principles of democracy, rule of law, human rights and social justice as enshrined in the Constitution”. The resolution was adopted by the participants.

It declared April 10, 2023 as National Constitution Day, which would be celebrated each year to commemorate the legislation's adoption and to educate the people about its significance.

The prime minister in an earlier tweet described the Constitution as a “sacred document that has weathered many storms over the past 50 years and held the federation together”.

"(The) Constitution of Pakistan continues to be central to shaping our national character, identity and future trajectory. [The] time has come to place parliament at the core of national life, both in letter & spirit. Rules of the game framed in light of the Constitution show us the way forward,” he said.

Former president Asif Ali Zardari also spoke on the occasion, saying his late father was among the signatories of the Constitution.

"We have created Pakistan, and it is our obligation to save it," he said.

The Constitution was passed by the National Assembly on April 10, 1973, authenticated by the president on April 10, 1973, and promulgated on August 14, 1973. It has stood vicious attacks by the military dictators, including Zia-ul Haq and Pervez Musharraf.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)