CJP for legislation on issues related to public importance: meeting of LJCP held

A meeting of the Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan (LJCP) was held on Saturday under the Chairmanship of Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Chief Justice of Pakistan/Chairman, Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan. In his introductory remarks, the Chief Justice of Pakistan/Chairman, LJCP said that there is need for legislation on issues related to public importance and bringing the existing one into accord with the changing needs of the society.
He stressed for simplification of laws for easy comprehension and removing inconsistencies therein. He urged that each and every legislation should be made after due process as provided in the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan. He further stated that the system of administration of justice revolves around the provisions of Constitution which provides safeguards to fundamental rights of the citizens; therefore, it is incumbent upon all the institutions to adhere the provisions of Constitution in discharging their functions.
The meeting was attended by Justice Agha Rafiq Ahmed Khan, Chief Justice Federal Shariat Court, Justice Qazi Faez Isa, Chief Justice High Court of Balochistan, Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan, Chief Justice, Peshawar High Court, Justice Ijaz Ahmad Chaudhry, Chief Justice, Lahore High Court, Justice Mushir Alam, Chief Justice High Court of Sindh, Maulvi Anwar-ul-Haq, Attorney General for Pakistan, Masood Chishti, Secretary, Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, former Justice Rana Bhagwandas, Former Judge Supreme Court of Pakistan/Chairman Federal Public Service Commission, former Justice Amir-ul-Mulk Mengal, Former Chief Justice, High Court of Balochistan, Ms Anis Haroon, Chairperson, National Commission on the Status of Women, Qazi Muhammad Jamil, Advocate Supreme Court and Habib-ur-Rehman Shaikh, Secretary, Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan. Justice Iqbal Hameed-ur-Rehman, Chief Justice of Islamabad High Court attended the meeting on special invitation.
The commission examined law reform proposals for amendments in the Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan Ordinance, 1979 and recommended amendments for including the Chief Justice of Islamabad High Court as member of the Commission, empowering the LJCP to sign MoUs with the foreign Law Commissions for conducting research and insertion of provision to allocate funds for the Provincial Judicial Academies from the access to Justice Development Fund. The Commission also recommended that amendment be made in the National Judicial (Policy Making) Committee Ordinance 2002 for including the Chief Justice of Islamabad High Court as member of the committee.
The Commission also approved the rules for regulating the functions of District Legal Empowerment Committees constituted under the Access to Justice Development Fund (AJDF) to provide legal aid to the deserving litigants who are unable to obtain legal aid or assistance for protecting their genuine legal rights or interests, involved in litigation, on account of limited financial resources.
The Commission also examined the proposal for Repeal of Federal Court Act, 1937 and after deliberations recommended that the enactment being redundant may be repealed. The Commission took serious note of the practice of giving women and young girls in marriage as a Badal-i-Sulha on the intervention of Jirga and Punchaits. The Commission asked the Secretariat of LJCP to suggest amendments in the relevant law so that stringent action should be taken against all those involved in such heinous crime against women. The Commission also approved accounts and expenditure of Access to Justice Development Fund.