Judicial meet says terrorism undermines rule of law

A three-day international judicial Sunday issued Islamabad Declaration at the conclusion, calling for strengthening judiciary as an institution rather than placing a wholehearted reliance upon the strength of a few individuals.

The declaration said that the judicial system needs to be reformed in such a way that majority of the cases are decided in district courts without prospects of endless appeals.

The Conference was attended by Chief Justice of Afghanistan, Deputy Chief Justice of the Supreme Constitutional Court of Egypt, Judge Supreme Court of India, Judges of Supreme Court of Libya and Iran, Judge High Court of Bhutan, and intellectuals, and eminent jurists from the UK, Iran, Afghanistan and India.

This International event was aimed at to provide opportunity to the relevant stakeholders to share their views, experiences and best practices to evolve strategies for confronting the challenges being faced in the administration of Justice.

“The judiciary should play an active part in enforcing rule of law which is pivotal in the developing world to counter corruption, infringement of fundamental rights and excesses of state functionaries,” the declaration said.

The moot proposed that specialized judicial education should be imparted whereby judicial officers are trained in technological advancements.

The conference noted that the threat of Terrorism and Money Laundering transcends national boundaries of civilized nations and affects the very fabric of any society at large and undermine the rule of law.

It said that Pakistan has incurred a heavy cost, both in terms of life and property,

while fulfilling its international obligations to counter terrorism being a responsible

member of the comity of nations.

“However, specific legal steps need to be taken to address several areas of concerns, such as, strengthening of anti-terrorism laws, capacity building of stakeholders responsible for prosecuting these offences, mutual legal assistance with various countries for effective prosecution of trans-national organized crimes, witness protection, collection of evidence and investigation,” it added.

The moot stressed that the public interest litigation should be recognized as a valid and powerful tool of legal empowerment for the underprivileged sections of society.

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Posted by Tahir Khan on Apr 21 2013. Filed under Latest News, Pakistan. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.