ACCORDING to a press report (Feb 20), five young lawyers have done a commendable job by submitting a petition to the Supreme Court about the delivery of inexpensive and expeditious justice to all citizens in accordance with Articles 203 and 37(d) of the Constitution, quoting two shocking facts.

One, the World Justice Index has ranked Pakistan at 106 among 113 countries in terms of access to justice. Two, a study under the guidance of the former Chief Justice of Pakistan Jawwad S. Khawaja determined that it took an average of 25 years to conclude litigation where the parties chose to avail themselves of all legal remedies up to the Supreme Court.

This and earlier reports suggest that it is the job of the parliament to legislate for the delivery of inexpensive and expeditious justice. Most lawmakers, as ground realities suggest, do not have the requisite expertise and experience to suggest ways and means to achieve the desired objective. As such, judges and lawyers can best recommend how to revamp the judicial system.

M. Akram Niazi

Rawalpindi

Published in Dawn, February 25th, 2018