Prime Minister Imran Khan Wednesday said reforming criminal justice system and ensuring easy and speedy justice to the common man were the central planks of PTI agenda, adding that his government was committed to putting in place a mechanism for speedy dispensation of justice.
At a briefing by the Ministry of Law and Justice here at his chamber, the prime minister was briefed by Minister for Law Dr Farogh Naseem on civil litigation reforms identifying various procedural and legal lacunas in the existing system which cause inordinate delay in provision of justice to the people. The minister identified various steps including the need for establishment of an evidence commission and streamlining the alternate dispute resolution and arbitration system through legal framework.
He mentioned amendments in various laws, such as anti-terrorism act, NAB law, pre-emption laws and rent laws to ensure that the legal procedures are not misused to obstruct justice and serve to facilitate the common citizens.
The law minister briefed the prime minister about criminal laws and highlighted the need for use of advanced technology for better investigation and prosecution in the criminal cases. The law minister assured the prime minister that a comprehensive reforms package carrying a future plan of action with delineated timelines will be finalized within the first 100 days of the present government.
The meeting was also attended by Finance Minister Asad Umar, Advisor to PM Shehzad Arbab, Attorney General of Pakistan Anwar Mansoor, Parliamentary Secretary Maleeka Ali Bokhari and senior officials.
Separately, talking to a delegation of Ulema here at the PM’s Office, Imran Khan stressed upon the need for reforms in the education system and maintained that for building of a nation, there should be uniformity in the basic education system and the curriculum for the entire country. He observed that functioning of three different education systems in the country was the reason behind creation of divisions in the nation.
The prime minister said improvement in the education system and the curriculum was the priority of the PTI government. He said the students of religious seminaries had the equal rights to excel in all spheres of life in accordance with their talents. The main objective behind educational reforms was to end the discrimination and help the students of madaris to rise in different spheres of life, he added.
The prime minister noted that it was an injustice to ignore contributions of religious seminaries and associate them with terrorism. He said that all issues of the seminaries will be resolved in complete consultation with all the stakeholders.
The delegation assured their complete support to the government on all the positive steps. The prime minister thanked the delegation for their support to the government’s measures.
The delegation included Mufti Muneebur Rehman, Maulana Hanif Jalandhari, Sahibzada Abdul Mustafa Hazarvi, Maulana Yaseen Zafar, Maulana Abdul Malik, Dr Maulana Attaur Rehman and Maulana Syed Qazi Niaz Hussain Naqvi.
Minister for Federal Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mahmood, Minister for Religious Affairs Noorul Haq Qadri and Minister of State for Interior Sheharyar Afridi were also present during the meeting.
Published in Daily Times, October 4th 2018.
