ABA Section of International Law: Pakistan
A showcase session at the American Bar Association (ABA) Section of International Law Fall Meeting in Brussels will examine developments over the past year with a distinguished panel of speakers including Ms. Faryal Jooma, lawyer and partner at Jooma and Soomro, and Mr. Imran Khan, Chairman of the Pakistan Movement for Justice, Lahore, Pakistan (former international cricketer).
The events in Pakistan since the fall of 2007 sparked a response from the legal profession worldwide. In particular, images of Pakistani lawyers being arrested as they were peacefully protesting to uphold principles of the rule of law in their country, mobilized the ABA to respond. The ABA issued statements, organized a march in solidarity with Pakistani colleagues, and presented a petition to the government of Pakistan calling for the restoration of the Constitution, reinstatement of deposed Supreme Court justices, and the release of lawyers and civil leaders who had been wrongfully jailed. In recognition of their tremendous efforts, the ABA gave the lawyers and judges of Pakistan the Rule of Law Initiative Award in August 2008.
With the end of military rule, the installation of a democratic government and the restoration of judges, will the lawyers’ movement fix the judicial system? Will they be able to address the ailments that are hampering the process of the delivery of justice? Will they examine how judges are appointed, how cases are fixed, how much money is to be paid to the staff at every step, why abnormal delays take place, and whether the poor can afford to seek justice?
We will explore the public purpose of a constitution and the linkages between a feudal landholding political culture and access to justice for Pakistan’s 160 million people. Civil society estimates of the landholding scenario in Pakistan reveal that 0.24% of the landholding population controls the majority of the agricultural land. Will the lawyers address the overbearing influence of the feudal families on the executive, judicial, and legislative apparatus that neglects the interests of the great majority (93%) of poor farmers?
The event will take place on September 25th, 11:00 – 12:30
Sponsoring Entities:
· Asia Pacific Committee of the ABA Section of International Law
· ABA Center for Human Rights
· ABA-UNDP International Legal Resource Center
Program Chairs:
· Brigitte R. Gambini, Paris, France
· Mohammad A. Syed (”Mo”), King and Ballow, Nashville, TN
Introductory Remarks: Aaron Schildhaus, Chair, Section of International Law, American Bar Association
Moderator: Catherine M. Doll, Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, New York, NY
Speakers:
· Ms. Faryal Jooma, lawyer and partner at Jooma and Soomro, Karachi, Pakistan
· Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan, President of the Supreme Court Bar Association, Lahore, Pakistan
· Mr. Imran Khan, Chairman of the Pakistan Movement for Justice, Lahore, Pakistan (former international cricketer)
· Professor Roy Prosterman, Founder and Chairman of the Rural Development Institute (RDI), Seattle, Washington