KARACHI, Pakistan: The Ministry of Human Rights (MoHR) and the Sindh Judicial Academy (SJA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the aim to train judges in laws pertaining to human rights and build awareness of the national & international human rights framework.
The signing ceremony was held in the Sindh Judicial Academy in Karachi on Friday.
The Secretary Ministry of Human Rights Ms Rabiya Javeri Agha signed on behalf of the Human Rights Ministry while the Academy’s Director General Justice Arif Hussain Khilji signed the MoU representing the Sindh Judicial Academy.
The SJA has been engaged in the training and education of Honourable Judges in the province of Sindh. The implementation of the MoHR’s partnership with SJA will add to the performance of the Judiciary’s duties to deliver more nuanced judgments within the context of Human Rights.
Speaking at the occasion, the Secretary MoHR Ms. Rabiya Javeri Agha gave an overview of the importance of adhering to human rights standards and obligations as enshrined in the Constitution and various international instruments.
The Secretary said, “The aim of training judges is to ensure that they are aware of national legislation that protects the rights of the vulnerable while maintaining the rights of the accused. However, knowledge of national legislation is not enough, it is imperative for the judiciary to be made aware of the international instruments that Pakistan has ratified. As a result of this training, Judges will be able to deliver more nuanced judgments utilizing international human rights instruments in their framework and the language they employ. This not only ensures that access to justice seems possible but that approaching Courts’ becomes less daunting for the victims. The crux of an independent judiciary is the provision of fair justice when the rights of both parties are protected and this can be made possible when the judges are trained on a Human Rights Based Approach.”
The DG SJA Justice Arif Hussain Khilji while speaking on the occasion said, “Both the MoHR and SJA have been desirous of developing a training program which delivers beyond an instrumentalist approach to human rights. Our partnership will ensure practical engagement with the judges through use of proven techniques for improved performance of the actual duties of the judges as derived from the recommendations of Human Rights experts.”
