ISLAMABAD: The law ministry has proposed 869 amendments to a set of legislations in order to expedite administration of justice.

Law Minister Dr Farogh Naseem on Saturday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan along with the detailed description of the proposed amendments to the Code of Criminal Procedure, Pakistan Penal Code, Law of Evidence, Control of Narcotics Substances Act, Railways Act, Pakistan Prisons Rules, Islamabad Capital Territory Criminal Prosecution Service Act and Islamabad Capital Territory Forensic Science Agency Act.

Barrister Naseem said 225 central and 644 sub-amendments had been proposed in the laws.

He said these amendments were part of the government’s initiative of legal reforms in general and in the criminal justice system in particular. He termed it a revolution in the criminal laws.

As per the law ministry, the proposed amendments have been finalised after consulting the relevant stakeholders, including all provincial police chiefs, Islamabad police, prosecutors general of the provinces and the federal capital, lawyers’ representatives, non-governmental organisations, human rights activists, home secretaries of the four provinces and representatives of the attorney general.

The amendments are aimed at providing speedy and inexpensive justice, a statement issued by the law ministry said, adding that a new mechanism for registering effective first information reports had also been introduced and the people would be protected from the highhandedness of police.

The ministry expressed the hope that the proposed legislations would reduce the judicial backlog, ensure transparency in trial and improve evidence collection.

It said the law minister had submitted the first draft for reforms in criminal laws to the prime minister in June and this was the second draft on legal reforms.

Published in Dawn, September 5th, 2021