LUMS Establishes Rule of Law Project

Justice (ret’d) Jawwad Khawaja, the chair of the Law and Policy Department at the Lahore University of Management Sciences, established the Rule of Law Project under the leadership of American lawyer Devin T. Theriot-Orr and Law Professor Roger Normand.

Project will assess the legal and policy impacts of General Musharraf’s 3 November Provision Constitutional Order, the removal of over 60 appellate judges and the police actions against lawyers and other members of civil society.

• Establish partnerships with bar associations and civil society groups to share information and research results in a transparent and cooperative manner.
• Compile lists and data on those detained and charged under the Emergency, the manner of such detention, the nature of such charges, the ongoing legal process.
• Develop a questionnaire to standardize data collection, train student teams to interview a large sample of detainees to support a comprehensive assessment. * Prepare detailed case studies to highlight individual cases of mistreatment and abuse.
• Analyze the changes in laws and modes of enforcement under the Emergency, assess the impact of these changes.
• Place crisis in context of Pakistan’s constitutional history, longstanding subordination of judicial independence to executive authority, and ongoing challenges for rule of law.
• Disseminate the findings and recommendations to domestic and international audiences.