Judicial system needs fundamental reforms: CJP

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan/Chairman, Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan (LJCP) on Thursday said that the country’s judicial system needed fundamental reforms in laws to cope with the increasing litigation and to dispel the public perception about delay in justice.

Addressing the meeting of Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan held here in the Supreme Court, the chief justice said that despite working hard and beyond office hours, the size of litigation was notdecreasing. “One of the reasons for increasing litigation is non-availability of sufficient judges at all levels and absence of stringent provisions to discourage frivolous litigation,” the CJP said.

He emphasised the importance of Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanism for the resolution of disputes without burdening the already overburdened formal justice system. He appreciated the efforts of the Lahore High Court for establishment of ADR centers to assist the litigants to resolve their disputes out of the court. He also lauded the role of Bar to support this initiative.

The commission reviewed the implementation status of its law reform reports. The meeting was informed that out of 138 reports, 74 are yet to be implemented by the government. The representative of Ministry of Law informed the meeting that out of 74, working on sixty (60) reports is in progress.

The commission also considered the proposal of uniform recruitment rules for appointment of judicial officers across the country. After deliberations, the chief justice asked the high courts to consider the proposal for framing uniform recruitment rules.

Riaz Ahmed, Senior Advocate Supreme Court of Pakistan/Member LJCP suggested amendment to the Oath Act. After deliberations, the chairman directed the Secretary, LJCP to prepare a proposal for placing before the commission in its next meeting.

The meeting discussed at length various proposals for delay reduction an expeditious dispensation of justice as dictated in the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The meeting also considered proposals received from stakeholders for delay reduction, clearance of backlog and simplification of procedure and laws to ensure speedy justice.

Meanwhile, after deliberation, the chief justice requested the members for their feedback on the shared proposals for consideration in the next meeting of the commission. The meeting was attended by Ashtar Ausaf Ali, Attorney General for Pakistan, Justice Sheikh Najamul Hassan, Chief Justice Federal Shariat Court, Justice Muhammad Noor Meskanzai, Chief Justice High Court of Balochistan, Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Chief Justice of Lahore High Court, Justice Ahmed Ali M Sheikh, Chief Justice of High Court of Sindh, Justice Yahya Afridi, Chief Justice of Peshawar High Court, Ms Khawar Mumtaz, Chairperson, National Commission on Status of Women, Justice Mian Shakirullah Jan, former judge Supreme Court of Pakistan, Chairman, NIRC, Justice Jamshed Ali Shah, former judge Supreme Court of Pakistan, Justice Arif Hussain Khilji, former judge Supreme Court of Pakistan, M Riaz Ahmed, Senior Advocate Supreme Court of Pakistan.