SC orders removal of barriers outside Hamza's residence

CJP seeks report on law colleges reforms within seven days

LAHORE: Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar on Sunday ordered the authorities concerned to immediately remove all barriers outside the house of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) MNA Hamza Shehbaz Sharif.

He gave the order while conducting suo motu hearing in blocking of the roads for security purposes.

The chief justice came down hard on Punjab Chief Secretary Zahid Saeed when he mentioned that only the security gate near Hamza's residence was removed and not the barriers.



“Hamza is an MNA and son of the chief minister,” said the chief secretary in response to the chief justice's inquiry into who Hamza is.

“Who’s Hamza? I don’t know any Hamza,” the CJP remarked.

He said the court can summon Hamza and ask him about the threats to his life. “If there are genuine threats, then he can shift his residence,” Chief Justice Nisar remarked and added, “I’m the chief justice, yet there are no blockades outside my house.”

The chief secretary assured the court of removing blockades.

The CJP informed the officials that he will visit the place in a private vehicle to check if his orders have been implemented.



Earlier, the apex court in its written order said traffic can only be stopped for two minutes to facilitate the VVIP movement in a case regarding road blockades to facilitate the VVIP movement.

The CJP had specified that the convenience of the public should be kept above everything else and that the general public faces immense hardships when the roads are blocked for VVIPs.

In another suo motu case about the quality of legal education in Pakistan, Cheif Justice Nisar tasked committees for identifying reforms in legal education system to submit their findings to the court within seven weeks.

During the hearing, the chief justice said he saw a picture of getting a BA degree in one night.



He underlined that this standard of education will not be allowed to continue.

Institutions of the country were being weakened, he regretted and underscored the need for competent lawyers instead of those who ‘sell paan (betel) during day and practice law in the evening’.

The committee was asked to submit its final report in seven weeks, while provincial committees have been directed to submit their findings to the central committee within five weeks.

The apex court also ordered provincial chief secretaries to assist the committees constituted to improve the quality of legal education in the country.

The court also formed a separate committee comprising law teachers and directed them to compile a report on the reforms needed within six weeks.

“We need a high standard of legal education so that we produce good lawyers rather than clerks,” the CJP remarked and added, “Private law colleges can fill the gaps in legal education but they should not approach this as a business.”

During the last hearing on Saturday, Chief Justice Nisar had issued an order prohibiting universities across the country from granting affiliation to new law colleges, at the same time barring high courts and subordinate courts from issuing stay orders on the case.

The chief justice had ordered vice-chancellors of universities that have law college affiliates to submit a signed report detailing the admission criteria, quota of students as well as results produced by these colleges.

He also formed a committee, which would be headed by lawmaker Hamid Khan, to introduce reforms in law colleges. He said that institutions must be strengthened instead of individuals since the latter keep coming and going.