ISLAMABAD: A lawyer belonging to the ruling party has been appointed head of a national legal reforms committee tasked to come up with suggestions for speedy disposal of cases pending in different courts.

“I have been appointed as head of the reforms committee by the prime minister to recommend early and inexpensive dispensation of justice to the masses,” Chaudhry Mohammad Ashraf Gujjar told Dawn on Monday.

He said his office would be at the Ministry of Law and Parliamentary Affairs and he would take up his assignment next week. But he is not fully aware of the number of people in the committee and if he will select the members or their appointment will be made through a government notification.

The committee will examine all laws and propose which laws should be amended or repealed and if there is any need to enact a new law in the wake of the brutal killing of schoolchildren in Peshawar.

Mr Gujjar said the prime minister had already announced phase-II of the Zarb-i-Azb operation which would target terrorists hiding in cities and, therefore, there was a need to strengthen the existing laws to cope with the matter.

In this regard the Pakistan Penal Code and Criminal Procedure Code and special laws like the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 will be thoroughly examined to remove overlapping provisions and ambiguities and difficulties faced in prosecuting criminals.

“We intend to come up with a comprehensive proposal for which opinion of legal experts and other stakeholders will also be sought,” he said.

The development is in addition to an effort under way on the judicial side. Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk has called a special meeting of the chief justices of superior courts on Dec 24 to discuss pending cases in anti-terrorism courts and their speedy disposal.

The meeting was called a day after the chief justice had expressed resolve at a condolence reference for the victims of school attack that he would ensure speedy disposal of anti-terrorism cases.

A committee of leaders of political parties represented in parliament has also been formed under Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar to prepare within a week a national action plan for countering terrorism in the country.

Another legal body — Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan (LJCP) — has been set up to implement the National Judicial Policy 2009 and prepare schemes for improving the capacity and performance of the administration of justice. The chief justice heads the commission.

The mandate of the LJCP is to carry out a regular and systematic review of statutes and other laws to improve and modernise the existing laws keeping in view the changing needs of society.

It will also help remove inconsistencies between the federal and provincial laws and simplify them for easy comprehension by adopting simple and effective procedure for the administration of laws to ensure substantial, inexpensive and speedy justice.

Published in Dawn December 23th , 2014