September 10, 2018: CODE PAKISTAN, in collaboration with the School of International Law (SIL), initiated the inaugural 4-day training course titled \”Introduction to the Criminal Justice System of Pakistan\” for young lawyers and graduate students of law. The course was held at the recently established Center of Excellence in Criminal Justice System on the premises of SIL.
The principal of the reputed law school Ms. Nida Tareen began the inaugural session with an introduction of the initiative as a center dedicated to upholding the standard of excellence in criminal justice education and research. Her opening speech was followed by a presentation by the founder of CODE PAKISTAN Mr. Dilawar Khan who shared with guests his vision for the center as a platform to conduct quality legal research on various subjects of criminal law, and improve the skills of young lawyers and law students to bridge the gap between the law in theory and in practice. He highlighted the objective of Center of Excellence in Criminal Justice System to promote the culture of legal research in criminal law, and encourage the involvement of Pakistani youth in peace-building, social cohesion, national integration and counter violent extremism. Mr. Dilawar Khan further remarked that organizing courses on understanding the criminal justice system of Pakistan was a dire need of the day because one-third of the prisoners languishing in prisons all across Pakistan were undergoing their trial. He was of the view that if the understanding of the criminal justice system would be increased among the young lawyers and other relevant stakeholders, it could have a remarkable impact on alleviating the plight of the under-trial prisoners languishing in various prisons across the country.
While the initial workshop is targeted to those in the legal field, the Center of Excellence in Criminal Justice System will expand to include tailored trainings for those professionals outside the legal field who are looking to improve their understanding of the criminal justice system in Pakistan with involvement from the actual stakeholders of the criminal justice system, i.e. police and prisons officials, prosecutors, judicial officers, as well as parole and probation officers, who will be invited to conduct research and carry out specialized trainings.
A news report about the launch of the Center of Excellence in Criminal Justice system was published in Daily The News on September 11, 2018.