December 18, 2019: The Federal Judicial Academy unveiled a study titled “Impact of Militancy on the Administration of Justice in FATA and PATA.” The study was unveiled by the Hon. Chief Justice of Pakistan Mr. Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa at the Federal Judicial Academy in Islamabad. The study was conducted by nine judicial officers from the provinces of Punjab, Sindh, and Balochistan, as well as from the Islamabad Capital Territory, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan who participated in a six-month-long course at the Federal Judicial Academy.
CODE PAKISTAN is proud of its association with the study conducted by the judicial officers undertaking a course at the Federal Judicial Academy, which was supported by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in the effort. Founder CODE PAKISTAN Mr. Dilawar Khan was the lead consultant for ICRC on the study. Mr. Khan and his team at CODE PAKISTAN extended full support to the study by identifying and inviting key resource persons for the course and Mr. Khan giving several lectures to the participating judicial officers in relation to the study.
In his remarks at the unveiling ceremony of the study, Chief Justice of Pakistan Mr. Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa appreciated the effort of the Federal Judicial Academy in conducting the study. He welcomed the initiation of research activities at the Federal Judicial Academy and appreciated the role played by all the partners that were supporting it in the endeavor. He called for greater understanding of the history of the phenomena of militancy and terrorism.
Founder CODE PAKISTAN Mr. Dilawar Khan also gave a review of the study at the unveiling ceremony, wherein he highlighted the key components and findings of the study and applauded the efforts of the judicial officers in undertaking the study and giving policy recommendations on the subject. Mr. Khan further shared with the audience that from his discussions with the people from the erstwhile FATA, he had gathered that they believed that the justice system under the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR) might not have been judicious but it was expeditious. Mr. Khan added that the people of FATA would be disappointed if the justice system introduced in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Merged Districts was judicious but not expeditious enough to their liking. To this, the Chief Justice of Pakistan responded in his remarks that if courts like the Model Courts were introduced in those areas, the administration of justice would not only be judicious but also expeditious. Mr. Dilawar Khan further remarked in his review comments that the happiest among the inhabitants of KP Merged Districts from the 25th Constitutional Amendment doing away with the FCR would be the women because they were completely excluded from the justice system under the FCR.
The unveiling ceremony was also attended by Judge of the Supreme Court Hon. Justice Mushir Alam, Secretary of the Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan Dr. Abdur Rahim Awan, Director General of the Federal Judicial Academy Mr. Hayat Ali Shah, Head of the ICRC Delegation in Pakistan Ms. Dragana Kocij, Deputy Head of the ICRC Delegation in Pakistan Mr. Jamal Khan, senior officials of the Federal Judicial Academy, the judges who authored the study, and other dignitaries.