ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Gulzar Ahmed has expressed concern over the poor pace of implementation of the reports prepared by the Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan (LJCP) recommending amendments to different laws.

Chairing a meeting of the commission the other day, Justice Ahmed asked the federal government to consider steps for expeditious implementation of the commission’s reports.

The chief justice directed Attorney General Khalid Jawed Khan to take up the matter with the government for expediting the process of implementing different reports submitted by the commission.

AGP told to take up the matter with the government

The meeting, which was held at the Supreme Court building, was attended by judges of the apex court and the chief justices of high courts.

Dr Muhammad Raheem Awan, the LJCP’s secretary, said that over the last three years the commission had recommended legislative, administrative and policy reforms while assisting in different public interest cases or human right cases.

The commission recommended 14 legislative reforms and 105 administrative reforms, while it “shared 22 policies with government departments”, Dr Awan added.

The secretary said the secretariat holds conferences and seminars to formulate recommendations on human rights issues.

According to Dr Awan, the LJCP secretariat had prepared reports about police reforms and construction of dams over the last one year. It had also submitted its recommendations to the government on transplant of human organs.

“The LJCP is providing secretarial and research-based support to different committees working in liaison with the Supreme Court, e.g. the Police Reform Committee and the National Judicial Automation Committee.”

Judicial automation unit

Dr Awan apprised the meeting that a proposal was under consideration to set up a judicial automation unit under the National Judicial Policy Making Committee, but the LJCP secretariat was desperately short of resources, both in financial and manpower terms, for research purposes.

The secretary informed the meeting that the LJCP secretariat collected data from prisons, courts, special courts, juvenile courts and public complaint redress centres of police for the purpose of analysis and research.

The commission provides secretarial support to Access to Justice Development Fund, which has seven windows for funding. Among them are infrastructure support for district judiciary in all provinces and Islamabad Capital Territory, funding for under-developed areas, judicial academies, funding for projects relating to legal awareness.

The LJCP released funds to all high courts for improvement in facilities and to the district legal empowerment committees for free legal aid in 124 districts.

Money was also given to the Federal Judicial Academy for training activities.

The chief justice observed that the problems highlighted by the LJCP secretary needed consideration. The meeting advised Dr Awan, the LJCP secretary, to approach Ishrat Hussain, the Special Assistant to Prime Minister on austerity, for his expertise on restructuring of the secretariat.

The meeting constituted a committee, headed by Justice Umar Atta Bandial, to review the process of restructuring of LJCP.

Published in Dawn, December 26th, 2020