In an impressive ceremony at the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Judicial Academy, Justice Dost Muhammad Khan, Chief Justice of the Peshawar High Court, who is also Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Academy, conferred certificates on 16 District/Additional District and Sessions Judges and 20 Prosecutors at the conclusion of a 6-day Training of Trainer (TOT) of Program. The TOT was part of UNDP’s “Strengthening the Rule of Law Malakand” (SRLM)—a judicial reform intervention focused on efficiency in the justice services delivery in Malakand division. The IM Sciences, a prestigious Peshawar-based Management School, is providing technical assistance in the project.
The main purpose of the TOT was to create a pool of master trainers for the District Judiciary and Prosecution department. For the Judges, the TOT focused on Court and Case Management, on which the Academy has developed Training Manual. High profile resource persons imparted training on necessary skills for training. The TOT was of great practical importance for both Judges and Prosecutors, enabling these key justice sector institutions, to enhance capacity of their junior officers.
Mr. Arshad Khan, District and Sessions Judge, Abbottabad, on behalf of Judges, and Mr. Zafar Abbas, on behalf of Prosecutors, address the gathering and lauded the efforts of the Academy, IM Sciences and the UNDP. Mr. Hayat Ali Shah, DG of the Academy while addressing the ceremony, underlined the significance of the TOT and the role of the Academy in legal and judicial training.
After conferring certificates on the participants, the Chief Justice addressed the gathering. His lordship said congratulated all participants on successful completion of their TOT. He appreciated the efforts of his of officers working at the Academy in raising the Academy on its legs in a short span of time. Indicating further strength of the Academy, his lordship said:
We are looking towards new horizons to strengthen this Academy. You all must know that I wanted to make it center of excellence. This is ever first Judicial Academy having three Ph.D Scholars on its credit. Inshallah very soon we will be able to start L.L.M program.
The Chief Justice added that distant learning through FM radio channel would be launched soon:
InshaAllah, for imparting distant education, knowledge and training, we soon would have FM Radio this month through which would be additional channel of learning from the Academy by the suppressed class. The basic human rights or to say fundamental rights of these people like women, victims of domestic violence, children subjected to physical assaults and are dragged into immoral activities, the poor litigants who do not know about the Court proceeding and procedure how to institute a law suit or a complaint would get first hand informative instruction facilitating them to defend their due rights with convenience. This new addition in the Academy would prove much beneficial to various segments of the society.