At least ten teams from top law schools throughout Pakistan competed in the Jessup law moot court competition-Pakistan, held in Islamabad. The three-day event was sponsored by the U.S Embassy's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) and the Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development Assistance and Training (OPDAT).
Former chief justice of Pakistan Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani was the chief judge for the finals held on Sunday. Both the winner and runner up of the national competition will travel to Washington, D.C. USA to compete in the international rounds from April 9th to 15th, 2017.
Addressing the participants, former chief justice Jillani said that, "We must do our part to make the world into a global village, to connect the people, to empathise, to reach out."
In closing he reminded the students, "Some of you may want to become lawyers, some may become judges, and some may join politics. You may pursue your goals differently, but there is one thing you share with each other and that is your calling as a citizen."
The competition was won by the students of Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) with the runners up from the University College, Lahore. The competition's law students hailed from Indus College of Law, Hyderabad; International Islamic University Islamabad; University of Karachi-School of Law; Quaid-i-Azam Law College, Lahore; Institute of Law and Criminology, Islamabad; University of Malakand; Institute of Law, University of Sindh Jamshoro and Pakistan college of Law, Lahore.
The 2016-2017 season marks the 58th year of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition. Jessup is the world's largest moot court competition, with participants from over 550 law schools in more than 87 countries.
The Competition is a simulation of a fictional dispute between countries before the International Court of Justice, the judicial organ of the United Nations. Last year was the first time that a team from Pakistan participated in the competition. They were awarded "Best New Team" in the international round.
In addition to support from INL and OPDAT, members of the Pakistan-U.S. Alumni Network (PUAN) helped to plan and organize the competition.
Pakistan has one of the largest U.S.-alumni communities in the world, with more than 22,000 students and professionals who have participated in U.S. government-sponsored exchange programs.