ISLAMABAD: The Senate on Monday decided to constitute a committee comprising all members of the house to suggest “steps and reforms for providing inexpensive and speedy justice” to people after senators expressed their no-confidence and dissatisfaction over the country’s existing judicial system.

The committee, which will be formed on Tuesday, would be given three months to formulate its recommendations, said Chairman Mian Raza Rabbani in a ruling.

A number of senators belonging to mainstream parties, including the PPP and PML-N, during their spee­ches on a motion moved by MQM’s Tahir Mashhadi on the issue of provision of speedy and inexpensive justice called for legislation to regulate the ‘jirga and panchayat system’.

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The Senate also passed a resolution “condemning the barring of women from casting votes in the by-election of PK-95 Lower Dir in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa held on May 7” and termed it a “blatant violation of the constitution and basic human rights”.

Initiating the debate on the country’s justice system, Senator Mashhadi regretted that justice was available only to the “rich and mafias” and that it had become too expensive for the common man.

PPP’s Farhatullah Babar said the reinstatement of former chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry in 2009 had placed unique powers in the hands of the judiciary to address issues in criminal justice system, but the great opportunity was “lost in pursuit of other objectives”.

Senator Usman Kakar from Balochistan criticised the judiciary’s role in the cases related to missing persons and fake academic degrees.

Khushbakht Shujat of MQM said that justice was “blind and deaf” in real terms in Pakistan.

PML-N’s Abdul Qayyum stressed the need for legislation to establish ‘punchayat system’ at village level.

Saeed Ghani of PPP supported the proposal of launching jirga system in the country through legislation which, according to him, would reduce burden on courts.

Winding up the debate, Minister for Law and Justice Pervaiz Rasheed informed the house that the government had drafted a bill to stop the practice of filing of fake and baseless cases in courts. He said the bill would soon be presented before the federal cabinet for approval.

Mr Rasheed said the cases of illegal detentions, which were previously heard by high courts only, could now be filed in district and sessions courts as well.

The minister said the Legal Reforms Committee formed by the prime minister had finalised its report, and it would be presented before the parliament soon.

Speaking on a point of order, Mau­lana Ataur Rehman of JUI-F drew the attention of the house towards the controversial remarks of the law minister about religious seminaries.

However, responding to the JUI-F senator’s points, the law minister said his remarks had been misunderstood.

The minister said he and his daughters had been facing threats after some circles came up with a demand that he should be hanged for uttering these remarks.

Published in Dawn, May 19th, 2015

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