October 20, 2017: CODE PAKISTAN held a round of consultations with the judges of KP at the KP Judicial Academy in Peshawar today. The consultations with judges were held at the KP Judicial Academy with an aim to get their perspective on the high number of under-trial prisoners and how to address overcrowding in prisons with special reference to high pre-conviction detention. The consultations at the KP Judicial Academy were part of the nation-wide study being conducted by CODE PAKISTAN to identify the causes and consequences of high numbers of under-trial prisoners (UTPs) leading to overcrowding in Pakistan’s prisons and coming up with a thorough assessment of the criminal justice system with regard to delays in the processing and adjudication of cases. CODE PAKISTAN is conducting the said study on the formal request of the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA), which is mandated to implement the National Action Plan (NAP), unanimously agreed upon by the political leadership of the country in December 2014. Revamping of the criminal justice system is the 20th point of NAP. CODE PAKISTAN’s study will be dovetailed to NACTA’s efforts in conducting research on Point 20 of NAP mentioned above.
The consultations, which were presided over by the worthy Director General of the KP Judicial Academy Mr. Masood Khan commenced with an introduction to the project on addressing overcrowding in prisons in Pakistan by President CODE PAKISTAN Mr. Dilawar Khan, who established the relevance of the project as an offshoot of point 20 of the National Action Plan (NAP) 2015 for the revamping of the criminal justice system led by the Ministry of Interior. He briefed the assembled lawyers on the activities conducted in consulting the various stakeholders of the criminal justice system – including the police, prosecution, and prisons – until then in hopes to note down and collate the challenges revealed by the stakeholders and present them in a single codified document.
The consultations were held in a very cordial atmosphere with candid exchange of views on the subject including issues with respect to bail, crime rates, alternatives to detention, implementation of the National Judicial Policy, capacity building of the criminal justice institutions, and the training needs of the judiciary.
Other participants of the consultations included Mr. Muhammad Masood Khan, Director General , KP Judicial Academy; Mr. Khwaja Wajihuddin, Dean Faculty, KP Judicial Academy; Muhammad Asif Khan, Senior Director Administration, KP Judicial Academy; Mr. Sohail Sheraz Noor Sani; Senior Director Research and Publications, KP Judicial Academy; Ms. Ayesha Rasool, Director Research and Publications, KP Judicial Academy; Mr. Mohsin Turk, Senior Advisor, CODE PAKISTAN; and Ms. Saba Imran, Director Programs, CODE PAKISTAN