Legal eye: Cops as scapegoats
The police are not a powerful club in Pakistan: the military is, the judiciary is, intelligence agencies are and even the DMG, but not the police. Cops probably remain the…
Judicial reforms
Amidst criticism targeting the performance of the judiciary, the Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan (LJCP) organised a judicial conference earlier this month. The conference concluded with the passing of…
Reforming the FIR system
Every time a new inspector general of police takes over in Punjab, one of the first things he is confronted with by the media is the question of free registration…
The anatomy of an FIR
Setting criminal law into motion or, in legal terms, registering an FIR in Pakistan is a daunting task, especially for the poor who have meagre resources. Section 154 of the…
Rules of sentencing
Professor Geraldine Mackenzie in her book ‘How Judges Sentence’ averred: “sentencing is an attempt to juggle object of various sizes while walking a tight rope which is being shaken at…
Regressive bail laws
In May this year, a trial court once again denied bail to a 16-year-old Christian boy accused of committing blasphemy by “liking” a post on social media. According to the…
Protecing women from crimes of ‘honour’
The recent high-profile murder of Qandeel Baloch, allegedly killed by her brothers to vindicate their ‘ghairat’ or ‘honour’, has led to the approval of a government-sponsored bill. The proposed draft…
How not to legislate
Part - I A controversy has erupted since parliament, in a joint sitting, unanimously passed the Criminal Law Amendment (Offences in the name or on the pretext of honour) Act,…
How not to legislate
Part - II The Criminal Law Amendment (Offences in the name or on the pretext of honour) Act, 2016 draws a lot from the draft bill presented by former senator…
Understanding the anti-rape law
On October 6, parliament amended the existing laws on rape – a welcome development coming in on the heels of media focus on an anti-honour killing act. The new anti-rape…
