Under the proposed system, a referee evaluation committee will review the performance of referees at the end of each year
On judicial reforms, Tarar said a seven-member committee had been constituted to ensure transparency. PHOTO: ET
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said on Saturday that the government was committed to improving legal education, strengthening the professional training of lawyers and ensuring effective administration of justice.
Inaugurating the Lawyers Education Academy at the Punjab Bar Council and a certificate distribution ceremony for successful participants of the Bar Vocational Course, the minister said work was underway to introduce a comprehensive health insurance policy for lawyers and their families. He said that the federal and Punjab governments extended full support to the welfare of the legal fraternity.
Tarar said lawyers would be provided treatment for cancer, kidney, liver and heart diseases in both public and private hospitals under the proposed health scheme. He added that the Punjab government had released Rs 1.35 billion in grants to Bar Associations and announced an additional Rs 20 million for the Bar Vocational Course.
The minister said that the establishment of the Directorate of Legal Education at the Pakistan Bar Council was a major reform aimed at modernizing legal education. He described the legal profession as a sacred responsibility and urged lawyers to strengthen their institutions and resolve disputes through institutional forums.
On judicial reforms, Tarar said a seven-member committee had been constituted to ensure transparency and merit in the appointment of Supreme Court judges. The committee would interview candidates and submit its recommendations to the Judicial Commission.
Questioning why Supreme Court judges should not go through interviews when civil and additional sessions judges had to pass exams, the minister said judicial appointments should be purely based on merit. He added that the government introduced for the first time a constitutional mechanism for the annual evaluation of the performance of judges through a judicial evaluation committee.
Under the proposed system, a referee evaluation committee would review the referees’ performance at the end of each year. If a judge’s performance was found unsatisfactory, the committee can send a referral to the Judicial Commission and recommend removal, he added.
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Commenting on constitutional reforms, Tarar said the 28th constitutional amendment would not be brought in hastily. He said that whenever the amendment was introduced, it would only be done after wide consultation. He noted that the legal fraternity, including the Supreme Court Bar Association and other bar councils, had supported the 26th and 27th constitutional amendments.
Punjab Bar Council Executive Committee Chairman Fakhar Hayat Awan said the Bar Vocational Course had been mandatory since 2018 and announced that the Punjab Bar Council would no longer issue licenses without verification of law degrees by the Higher Education Commission (HEC).
He also announced that the Bar’s Benevolent Fund had been increased from Rs300,000 to Rs600,000, promising that there would be no compromise on the rights and welfare of lawyers.
Earlier, the Federal Law Minister inaugurated the Lawyers Education Academy and later awarded certificates among successful participants of the Bar Vocational Course.
The ceremony was attended by Judicial Commission Member Ahsan Bhoon, Pakistan Bar Council Vice President Pir Muhammad Masood Chishti, Punjab Bar Council Vice President Khawaja Qaiser Butt, senior officials of Pakistan and Punjab Bar Council and a large number of lawyers.
