Representation and the legal community
Opinion
The writer is a Northern Iowa public administration graduate with a specialization in policy design and implementation.
The legal community considers the constitution of Pakistan its holy grail. It does its utmost to ensure rule of law but has perhaps forgotten or chosen to ignore Article 34 regarding the full participation of women in national life and Article 25 regarding non-discrimination between sexes.
The male-dominated legal community has not made any concrete steps or campaigned to ensure that the state implements Article 34 viz a viz appointment of women in the judiciary. This male-dominated legal fraternity has also failed to guarantee meaningful representation and or participation of women in its bar councils.
The role of a judge
Opinion
December 16, 2020
The recommendation of Babar Sattar’s name by the Judicial Commission of Pakistan for appointment to the Islamabad High Court led to some debate about what makes a good and impartial judge.
There are those who are clearly of the opinion that an impartial judge is one who is entirely neutral in terms of his/her expressed opinion, stance, demeanour and conduct. They cite past clients of the aspirant to pinpoint alleged political bias and also state that someone who is an influencer, public opinion maker, as well as constantly in the public eye, may not be capable of being neutral in decision-making whilst on the bench. In addition to this, it has also been stated that someone who is ‘progressive’ and ‘liberal’ should not be allowed on to the bench in light of the Islamic nature of the constitution.
JCP approves nomination of Justice Qaiser Rashid Khan as new PHC chief justice
He took the oath as the acting chief justice of PHC on November 16
ISLAMABAD:
The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) on Wednesday approved the nomination of Justice Qaiser Rashid Khan as the new chief justice of the Peshawar High Court (PHC).
Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Gulzar Ahmed presided the meeting of the JCP to consider a nomination for the post which fell vacant after the death of Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth due to coronavirus earlier in November.
Justice Qaiser Rashid Khan was appointed as an additional judge on August 2, 2011, and he took oath as the acting chief justice of PHC on November 16.
Judicial power play
The writer is a lawyer, formerly practising and teaching law in Lahore, and currently based in Singapore. He holds an LLM from New York University where he was a Hauser Global Scholar. He tweets @HNiaziii
When the sun sets on revolutionary uprisings, how the victors use their newfound power leaves a permanent imprint on the future.
Do they allow limitations to be saddled onto themselves; sacrificing power to uphold the ideal of the rule of law? Or do they seize upon their popularity to expand their authority in new directions?
The lawyers’ movement uprooted a dictatorship, but left behind a judicial structure which, while independent, was also activist in way that was unprecedented in Pakistan’s history. The Chaudhry Court, as it became known, often stepped into the shoes of the executive to give decisions on national policy, muddying the line between the executive and the judiciary through a long list of court decisions.
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