The National Lawyers Convention has demanded revision of National Judicial Policy as some aspects of it have seriously hampered the cause of justice. It recommended that while reviewing the NJP, representatives of District Bars should be heard directly and any other representation would not do justice to the review.
The Convention was held under the auspices of the Supreme Court Bar Association and Pakistan Bar Council at Lahore High Court Bar Association here on Sunday.
The convention deliberated on promoting welfare of lawyers, better networking among bar associations and improving the legal system. A large number of bar representatives from all over the country participated in the convention.
The convention stressed the need for organising seminars, workshops and conferences so that an institutional dialogue between the bench and the bar continues on common objectives, and to train lawyers for better understanding of professional norms. In this regard they applauded the decision taken by the Punjab Bar Council to end weekly strikes on Saturday.
The convention resolved that the bar be discouraged from calling for strikes at provincial or national level on matters that concern personal grievances of individual lawyers. However, where lawyers suffer in the course of their professional duty, or suffer human rights abuses or were under threat, action including strikes could be in order.
At the conclusion of the convention, President of Supreme Court Bar Association Asma Jehangir said that there were several complaints on the system of verification of documents regarding legitimacy of enrolment to the legal profession. A number of Bar bodies had taken serious notice of it, and the convention called upon the Bar Council to take strict action against imposters. It was also resolved that expenditure on elections in the bar should be severely curtailed and bar associations and councils should make rules to ensure that election entertainment be curtailed to minimum.
She said there was deep resentment that judges who retired or were dismissed as a consequence of serious charges of corruption resorted to entering the legal profession. The convention deplored this and demanded that bar councils should carry out a faithful investigation before granting licences for practice to such elements. The National Convention also denounced the induction of such elements in government departments affiliated with the legal system.
It was pointed out that a proper legal framework does not exist in Malakand, and there is no functioning of a High Court in Chitral. This creates extreme stress to the people and is hurting the cause of justice.
In a number of cities, jail premises have been undergoing construction or renovation for a number of years. This causes immense delay and denial of justice to prisoners who travel for hours to reach courts after their cases have been adjourned. The convention urged the government to take notice of this delay and take up the functioning of jails at a priority.
She said that so far legal documents are mainly prepared by lay draftsmen which eventually do not meet the requirements of law. This results in protracted litigation and miscarriage of justice. The convention called upon the Law Ministry to amend the Registration Act so that only qualified lawyers are permitted to authenticate and draft legal documents.
It was observed that in a few instances family members of sitting Chief Justices practise in courts and appear to take advantages of their relationship. This perception can only be dispelled if a tradition is followed denying practice to relative lawyers in the courts where the Chief Justice is closely related to them.