FCCP seeks compliance report on law colleges reforms, adjourns hearing

ISLAMABAD, Mar 31 (APP):The Federal Constitutional Court of Pakistan on Tuesday adjourned the hearing of a case concerning the deteriorating condition of law colleges, directing the parties to submit a compliance report on the implementation of a prior judgment of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
The court instructed the Pakistan Bar Council, provincial bar councils, and the Higher Education Commission to submit their reports within two weeks.
During the hearing, Justice Aamer Farooq observed that the state of law colleges and the legal profession in the country was alarming, noting that some individuals had been granted law licenses despite lacking basic legal knowledge.
Justice Rozi Khan remarked that in Balochistan, several law colleges do not hold regular classes, with some institutions operating from a single room and facing allegations of selling degrees.
A representative of the Pakistan Bar Council informed the court that reform measures were underway and argued that further proceedings in the case were unnecessary.
Counsel for the petitioner, Malik Aneeq Khattana, contended that the situation has worsened since 2020.
However, he acknowledged that the case had led to important developments, including the establishment of the Directorate of Legal Education, the initiation of lawyers’ training programs, and the introduction of a 50 percent qualifying threshold for the law graduation test, while emphasizing that further improvements remain essential.
Subsequently, the court adjourned the hearing until the submission of the compliance reports.