Pakistan

Gilgit-Baltistan prosecution dept to be separated from police

Flaws in the region’s legal system had created complications for police, judiciary.

Shabbir Mir November 29, 2010

GILGIT: Efforts made by Gilgit-Baltistan lawyers bore fruit as the law department finalised paperwork for separating the prosecution department from the police, sources said on Sunday.

“The Gilgit-Baltistan government has finalised the process and action will be taken on it soon,” said a law department official familiar with the process. He said that a number of vacancies will be created to enhance its independence.

The separation of prosecution from the police has been a longstanding demand of lawyers in Gilgit-Baltistan, after they saw by flaws in the region’s legal system, which resulted in complications for both the police and the judiciary. They had been urging the government to make necessary changes in the legal system, making it compatible with the system prevailing elsewhere in the country.

Addressing a lawyers’ convention in Gilgit earlier this month, region’s Law Minister Wazir Shakil had promised to make the changes proposed by the Gilgit-Baltistan Lawyers’ Association president, Manzoor Ahmed. The minister had also vowed to fill the vacant posts of judges in the Supreme Appellate Court, but sources said that no progress has yet been made in this regard.

The jail department will also be separated from the district administration. “A decision will be taken soon after the issue of prosecution is settled,” he said, adding that the government is consulting legal experts to make the system outlined in the Gilgit-Baltistan Self-Governance Order of 2009 flawless.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 29^th, 2010.

COMMENTS (1)

TAQDIR ALI KHAN, ADVOCATE | 13 years ago | Reply Well, it is a good news for the legal fraternity, that the law minister has taken interest and fill the vacancies in the Highest judiciary. But we do hope that merit would not be killed, otherwise desrving candidates who have already applied for these positions would be disappointed. I personally thank to the Hon'ble minister and request him to please do not kill the merit while appointing judges in the supreme judiciary. As the scribe is a well know and senior lawyer of Sindh High Court, and belong to District Ghizar Northern Area, have already applied who holding double master degrees in Politics and Law as well (M.A.,LLM.) and in his 46 years of age, having more than 18 years standing at the High Court Bar. But I do not believe in bribery and political pressure. Atlest one appointment for the sake of God should be made purely on merit. TAQDIR ALI KHAN ADVOCATE HIGH COURT.

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