' RAJA AFRASIAB KHAN, J.---The petitioner, Mr. M.D. Tahir, a practising lawyer and member of Lahore High Court Bar Association has prayed through this petition under Article 199 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1973, that the action of respondents Nos. 1 and 2 inviting the newly elevated 20 Judges of this Court to Tea and Dinner parties may be declared unconstitutional and against the established traditions of the superior judiciary of Pakistan. The respondents may be further restrained from inviting the Judges of the superior Courts to such like functions in future in order to uphold the independence of the judiciary. The petitioner continues to state that on 4th of August, 1994, twenty Judges were elevated to the Lahore High Court by the President of Pakistan.
On 8th of August, 1994, at 11-00 a.m., all the learned Judges were invited to a Tea party by the learned Advocate-General, Punjab, within the premises of his office. On 9-8-1994, the newly appointed Judges were invited by the Prime Minister of Pakistan to dine with her. Similarly, on 13-8- 1994, a Dinner was given by the Governor of Punjab, in honour of the aforesaid Judges. The petitioner has taken strong exception to these invitations on the ground that the Judges of the superior Courts are not supposed to attend such functions because the Federal and the Provincial Governments have to be represented as a party in some important civil and criminal matters which are brought before the Court by the litigant public or the State functionaries for securing different reliefs. He, therefore, contends that it is not expected that in such a situation, a party to the litigation, namely, the Federal and the Provincial Government, should throw lavish parties in honour of the Judges to influence them. According to him, this act of the respondents would adversely affect the independency of the judiciary. He adds that the history of the judicial system would demonstrate that no such acts were ever done in the past by the Governments inviting the Judges to such functions. He proceeded to cite an example that the first Chief Justice of Pakistan point blank refused to attend a Tea-party arranged on behalf of the Governor-General of Pakistan. The learned Advocate-General opposes this petition by submitting that no provisions of the Constitution or law were violated by him or by the respondents and as such, no writ could issue in a case like this.
2. We have heard the petitioner at considerable length. There is no substance in the contentions of the petitioner and as such, they are repelled. To begin with, learned counsel was asked to show his locus standi to file this petition before this Court. Under Article 199 of the Constitution, only an aggrieved person can institute a petition for redressal of his grievance. He was unable to show that he was an aggrieved person so as to enable him to institute this petition. He was also specifically asked to show the provisions of the Constitution or the law which were violated by the respondents in inviting the Judges to tea or the dinner parties. He could not do so. Learned Advocate-General is the Principal Law Officer of the Province. He is also a respectable member of the Lahore High Court Bar Association. It is an established tradition of this Court that he is always invited to attend ceremonial functions of the High Court. This fact was not even disputed by the petitioner. If this is so, then, in turn, there was nothing so serious or objectionable to attend the functions arranged by him. There is equally no force in the other objection of the petitioner. It may be noted that on the occasion of retirement of Mr. Justice Abdul Qadeer Chaudhry, a Judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, Hon'ble Chief Justice of Pakistan and other Judges of the Supreme Court attended the dinner given by the Prime Minister of Pakistan on 12-7-1994 in honour of the retiring Judges.
Similarly, the President of Pakistan inaugurated, Aiwan-e-Adl, Lahore and also attended a tea party arranged in his honour by the Lahore Bar Association on 30-3-1994. Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, Prime Minister of Pakistan also attended a similar tea reception on 13-7-1994 thrown by the abovesaid Bar Association. It may be appreciated that no such objections were ever raised on the said occasions by any lawyer including the petitioner or any group of lawyers within the said Bar Associations. It was' undoubtedly, a united show of the members of the legal fraternity. It is also pertinent to observe that these functions were held by the Prime Minister, the Governor and the Advocate-General, Punjab, in their official capacity. In other words, these functions are always held on reciprocal basis and, in our view, in no way it would affect the independence of judiciary. There is, therefore, nothing abnormal or objectionable if the newly elevated Judges accepted the invitations of the Prime Minister or the Governor or the Advocate-General to dine or take tea with them. This petition appears to be more of a misdirected sermon than to show any breach of law or precedent of this Court. The petition is wholly misconceived and unwarranted and as such, does not lie. It is accordingly dismissed in limine. in limine.