September 2010

Friday, September 17, 2010 to Sunday, September 19, 2010

The movement of Pakistani lawyers motivated Pakistani judiciary for adopting pro-people judicial activism, and resultantly restored the confidence of Pakistani people in courts and legal system. Now people are turning not to police and government department, but to courts to get their grievances, specially related to violation of basic rights, resolved. It is necessary to have a clear vision of the independence of judiciary. The independent judiciary is considered the firmest guarantee of the Rule of Law and the protection of human rights. The independence of the judiciary could, however, only be secured if the legal community, as well as the general public, are committed to sustaining free and democratic institutions. The judges are guardians of the constitution and they should not allow the abrogation or the suspension of the constitution, which is considered to be inconsistent with the Rule of Law. Judges should also refrain from collaborating with, or lending legitimacy to, regimes that overthrew democratic governments upholding the Rule of Law. For this purpose the judiciary must gain the support of the public. The pressure of public opinion is indispensable when enforcing judgments against the government. The Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan intends to hold a two-day International Jurists Conference in September 2010 in Islamabad to share the overview perceived by the Bars and Jurists of the other countries counterparts of the lawyer&s movement of Pakistan. The impact of lawyers’ movement, experiences, best practices and the lessons learnt both at National and International levels would be the prime subjects of the moot. Moreover, the issues pertaining to the need of supremacy of constitution, norms of an independent judiciary, vision of sustainability of independent judiciary to oblige the discipline of free and just flow to justice, recognition of the international standards set by the UN on the ethics of Lawyers and Judges to function liberally within the prescribed limitations would also be brought to light. The conference would also analyze the role of governments and affects of political pressures on the judicial mechanism, and evaluate the importance and linkage of independent judiciary to democracy and Human Rights. The delegates from different parts of the world would speak and give their opinions and suggestions for the improvement in the regular and uninterrupted working of the judiciary emphasizing on collective interaction in future to maintain a better relationship amongst bar and bench , judiciary , executive and legislature for the uphold of law and supremacy of constitution. The other important agenda of the meeting will be to focus on the future line of action and confidence building measures to connect with each other, secure the continuity of independence of judiciary and how to continue the struggle for the same by defining new dimensions in terms of legal education set ups, appointment of judges and development of institutions of advocacy on ethics of lawyers and judges.