PESHAWAR, Feb 1: The Peshawar High Court on Wednesday directed the provincial government to do legislation for setting up a law university in the province.

A two-member bench comprising PHC Chief Justice Dost Mohammad Khan and Justice Mian Fasihul Mulk accepted a writ petition filed by PHC Bar Association challenging the non-establishment of any law university in the province and requesting that the government may be directed to upgrade the Khyber Law College to the status of university.

The petition was jointly filed by PHCBA president Khwaja Mohammad Gara and secretary general Ameenur Rehman, requesting that direction may be issued to the government to make proper legislation within shortest possible time for upgrading Khyber Law College (KLC).

The Federation of Pakistan through secretary to governor, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; provincial government through chief secretary; secretary law and human rights, government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; the vice-chancellor and registrar of the University of Peshawar; and 18 law colleges including the government-run Khyber Law College are respondent in the petition.

Mr Rehman appeared before the bench and stated that the association was a recognised lawful body having its constitution and was concerned to promote research scholars and uniformity in the legal profession.

He pointed out that there were 18 law colleges in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, affiliated with University of Peshawar, producing about 2,000 law graduates per annum.He stated that there was no law university throughout the province to regulate the professional affairs of the law colleges in order to provide research facilities to students and to produce PhD scholars.

Mr Rehman argued that laws were enacted for medical and engineering universities to bring uniformity in both professions but legal profession had totally been neglected.

The petitioner contended that formation of a law university was very essential to regulate affairs of the law colleges and to enable them to produce quality lawyers and provide them equal opportunities of research at par with the other professionals in the province.

Mr Rehman stated that Khyber Law College was set up in 1950, prior to the establishment of the University of Peshawar, and it was elevated to the position of an independent faculty in 1992, but soon reverted back to the status of college in 2004.

He added that the law students had to go abroad for higher education and spend millions of foreign exchange, which directly affected economy of the country.