Australia Awards fellows discuss criminal reforms in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, May 24 (APP): Australia’s High Commissioner to Pakistan,
Margaret Adamson and Pakistan’s Attorney General, Ashtar Ausaf Ali Wednesday congratulated ten Australia Awards Fellows on the completion of their research on criminal justice reform in Pakistan.
The ceremony came at the completion of a workshop hosted by the
Australian National University here.
The workshop was an opportunity to discuss the research findings of the
fellows on criminal justice issues including community-based dispute resolution, community legal empowerment, mental health and criminal justice, and abuse of anti-terrorism laws.
“It is a great pleasure to welcome the fellows back to Pakistan, where I
trust they will continue to advocate for criminal justice reform with the aim of improving the efficiency and effectiveness of Pakistan’s criminal justice system and the rule of law, for the benefit of all citizens,” High Commissioner Adamson said.
The research was completed at the Australian National University in
Canberra with funding from the Australia Awards Fellowship Programme.
Australia Award Fellowships are offered by the Australian government to
equip upcoming generations with the skills and knowledge they need to shape successful, inclusive and sustainable economic and social development.
Fellowships offer Australian organisations, from all sectors the
opportunity to deepen and broaden links with leaders and professionals throughout the world through short term study and professional development.
High Commissioner Margaret Adamson addressing the participants said
the basic motive behind this effort was to help development of Pakistan by building capacity and linking the research to ensure that the policies are based on research.
Similarly she said the criminal justice system requires
reformation and the area of research has to be made relevant to the country and its laws. The research in law is relevant to Pakistan as well as to Australia and to the world.
She maintained that the criminal justice, gender issues, legal frame
work, misuse of terrorism laws has to be given due focus and the institutions be strengthened to make the laws effective.
She also mentioned the challenges like terrorism, protection of the
minorities including religious minorities in different countries, gender discrimination, the legal frame work and its reformation were highly vital for the people, the countries and the democracy itself.
Attorney General of Pakistan, Ashtar Ausaf Ali who was the chief guest
on the occasion appreciating the topics and discourse of the workshop said these subjects are grossly ignored.
He called upon the participants and researcher to continue their work
and compile them for the benefit of the legal fraternity and the authority in place so that the reformation in the law can be taken to its logivcal end.
He said the ideas which have been discussed in the workshop should
be shared at large to develop realization of the gravity of the issues in the existing legal frame work.
Instead of videos going viral on watsapp or instagram, such ideas should
go viral that would help improve the legal frame work and pave the way for their effective implementation.